Ethiopia’s army chief accuses Egypt and Sudan of backing armed alliance seeking to oust Abiy Ahmed

Key Points:

• Ethiopia’s army chief, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, accused Egypt and Sudan of backing a new alliance of armed groups aiming to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, alleging Eritrea acts as a conduit between foreign backers and Ethiopian armed groups, though no evidence was provided.
• The alliance, including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and Oromo Liberation Army, seeks to establish a transitional administration, coinciding with renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia involving Tigrayan forces clashing with federal troops.
• Tensions between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan are heightened by disputes over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), with Egypt and Sudan demanding a legally binding agreement on dam operations and Ethiopia asserting its sovereign right to develop the dam for electricity generation.
• Relations between Ethiopia and Sudan have worsened following accusations of drone attacks launched from Ethiopian territory, which Ethiopia denies, while Ethiopia also accuses Sudan of supporting Tigrayan fighters amid ongoing regional instability.
• Ethiopia’s government accuses Eritrea of supporting the armed alliance against it, despite Eritrea’s denials; this follows deteriorated relations after Eritrea’s involvement in the 2020–2022 war alongside Ethiopian federal forces.