Ethiopia conflict: Seven armed groups form alliance against Abiy Ahmed

Image source, Reuters Image caption, There have been renewed tensions in the northern Tigray region

Several of the rebel groups which have been fighting the Ethiopian authorities in different parts of the country have announced they have formed an alliance to remove the government in Addis Ababa.

The alliance brings together the Fano militia in Amhara, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and four other smaller groupings in a coalition named Alliance for Survival.

The seven groups accuse Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government of presiding over "war, genocide, mass destruction and utter poverty", claiming Ethiopia is at risk of disintegration.

Abiy's spokesperson Billene Seyoum said the groups had already been collaborating for some time, Reuters reports.

The BBC has asked the government for comment.

Ethiopia has faced years of armed conflict in Oromia and Amhara, the most populous states in the country.