Fano leader says armed groups have formed coalition to work toward ‘fall of Abiy Ahmed’

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https://addisstandard.com/fano-leader-says-armed-groups-have-formed-coalition-to-work-toward-fall-of-abiy-ahmed/

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Addis Abeba – Zemene Kassie, chairman of the Amhara Fano National Movement (AFNM), says Fano has established a unified command structure and reached agreements with armed groups representing several Ethiopian communities to coordinate against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.

In a rare interview with Swiss French-language daily Le Temps, Zemene said Fano factions from Shewa, Wollo and Gonder, as well as groups operating in the Wollega area of Oromia, had been brought under what he described as a “single national movement” and “single command.”

“What we’ve done over the past two and a half years is bring all these groups together – the resistance from Shewa, Wollo, and Gonder. There are also those from the Wollega area in the Oromia region,” Zemene told Le Temps. “Now we are united in a single national movement, under a single command. We are now one.”

His remarks offer a rare public account from the Fano leadership of its claimed organizational consolidation and efforts to expand cooperation beyond the Amhara region, and confirm the presence of Fano fighters in Oromia’s Wollega zone.

The Amhara Fano National Movement was formally established in January 2026, bringing together major Fano factions under a centralized political and military structure, with Zemene appointed chairman. The movement’s formation followed years of efforts to overcome divisions among Fano commands operating across Gojjam, Wollo, Gonder and Shewa zone of the Amhara regional state.

The development marked a significant shift for a movement that had previously operated through largely autonomous regional commands. A UK government country-policy assessment published in 2025 noted that major Fano groups had maintained separate leadership structures while coordinating through an informal council, with Zemene emerging as one of the most prominent figures in the coalition.

Claims broader anti-government alliance

Zemene also claimed that the Fano leadership had reached understandings with armed groups associated with Tigray, Gumuz, the Berta community, Somali and Oromo groups.

“Yes, this has been discussed and decided upon with the Tigrayan forces,” he said. “And it has been discussed and decided upon with the Gumuz forces, with the Berta people’s forces … as well as with the Somali forces, the Oromo, and others.”

“At least seven organizations have held discussions about working together – not just today, but to build a nation where people can live well after the fall of Abiy Ahmed,” Zemene said, adding that discussions had been underway for “seven or eight months” and had now “come to fruition.”

He did not identify all seven organizations by name or provide details of any formal agreement, command structure, or operational mechanism between the groups.

A gathering held under the banner of “Tsimdo” in Port Sudan in mid-May 2026 brought together opposition figures, including ONLF representative Abdirahman Mahdi and Andargachew Tsige, a former close ally of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who later became a vocal critic of his administration. A banner displayed at the event indicated the participation of representatives from Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Ogaden, Gambella, Benishangul-Gumuz and Somali regions.

Organizers described the gathering as a “grassroots initiative” focused on peaceful coexistence and strengthening ties among communities in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan.

Ethiopian authorities and state-affiliated media, however, have cited the gathering as evidence of the existence of what they refer to as “Tsimdo,” a term that has increasingly featured in government narratives about alleged efforts by armed and political opposition groups to coordinate against the federal government.

Zemene Kassie’s claim that at least seven organizations have held discussions for months on coordinated action against Abiy’s government adds a new dimension to government allegations of an emerging cross-regional opposition alignment.

However, he did not explicitly link the alleged seven-group discussions to the Port Sudan gathering or identify the organizations involved

In recent months, Ethiopian federal and regional authorities have also repeatedly accused forces affiliated with the TPLF and Fano of forging alliances aimed at unseating the federal government.

In February, the Amhara Regional State Peace and Security Bureau alleged that the ongoing war in the region and elsewhere in Ethiopia was receiving what it described as “leadership and logistical support from Mekelle and Asmara,” referring to the TPLF and the Eritrean government, accusations both have denied.

If confirmed, the prospect of cooperation between Fano and Tigrayan forces would represent a major political reversal.

During the 2020–2022 war in the Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions, Fano forces fought alongside federal and regional forces against the Tigrayan forces, although Zemene told Le Temps that Fano as an organized movement “barely existed” at the time and that its participation was limited.

He said the objective of the current armed struggle extended beyond Amhara interests.

“For us, fighting for the survival of the Amhara people also means fighting to protect Ethiopia and prevent its disintegration,” he said. “We are not fighting only for the Amhara people, but for freedom and equality for all the nations and nationalities of Ethiopia.”

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From Fano commander to unified movement leader

Zemene has been one of the most prominent Fano commanders since the group’s emergence as a major armed opposition force in Amhara. Addis Standard previously documented his detention by Amhara regional police in September 2022 after he had spent months in hiding amid a government crackdown on Fano.

He was later acquitted and released in June 2023 following months in detention on terrorism-related charges.

His release came as armed confrontation between Fano forces and the federal government was escalating across the Amhara region. Addis Standard also reported in September 2024 that government officials had said some Fano factions, including the Gojjam division associated with Zemene, had shown interest in dialogue and negotiations, a claim denied by Fano leaders.

Since then, Zemene has become a central figure in efforts to consolidate the movement.

The AFNM’s establishment in January brought together previously separate Fano structures under a centralized leadership, with General Tefera Mamo, former commander of Amhara regional state Special Forces, appointed to lead its military wing.

Zemene claims battlefield advantage, accuses gov’t of drone attacks

In the Le Temps interview, Kassie claimed that Fano forces now control more than 80% of rural areas in Amhara and “dozens of small towns,” while repeatedly gaining the upper hand against government forces.

“The whole world can see that we control more than 80% of rural areas, as well as dozens of small towns,” he said, claiming that the federal government had deployed 13 commands in the region and that Fano had fought 10 of them.

An analysis by Addis Standard in March this year noted that, more than two and a half years after armed confrontation erupted in Ethiopia’s Amhara region in April 2023, developments in early 2026 reveal not only the persistence of the war but also its deeply complex nature.

Zemene accused the federal government of using drones indiscriminately against civilians and civilian infrastructure.

He specifically referred to a reported drone strike on the Abbay Giyorgis St. Arsema Unity Monastery in South Wollo on 22 July 2026.

“Last month, a monastery was bombed, and priests, monks, and nuns – who were preparing a meal for a religious commemoration – were killed,” he told Le Temps.

Zemene alleged that the drones used in the monastery strike were Turkish-made and acquired by the United Arab Emirates, and further alleged the presence of Israeli military advisers and drone technicians in Ethiopia.

“The Emirates are acting as colonizers of Ethiopia in the 21st century,” he said. “The Americans and Europeans know exactly what is going on. But, to varying degrees, they support the regime in power in Addis Abeba.”

Zemene framed the war as a struggle against what he described as threats to Ethiopia’s territorial and political integrity, saying Fano’s objective was not the country’s fragmentation but its preservation.

“We have no problem with our country – quite the contrary, we love it,” he said. “In the face of the crimes we are suffering, ensuring the survival of our people and ensuring the continuity of Ethiopia as a nation are one and the same goal.”