// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Afar say to Front? "You're always ahead of me".
| Afar National Unity Revolutionary Front | |
|---|---|
| Other name | Afar Ugugumo |
Leader | Ibrahim Osman Aliyu (Haji Ibrahim)[1] |
| Dates active | 2025–present |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Group | Afar |
| Active regions | Afar Region, Ethiopia |
| Size | ~300 (2025 estimate)[2] |
| Part of | Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Coalition for Survival[3] |
| Wars | |
The Afar National Unity Revolutionary Front (ANURF), also known as Afar Ugugumo, is an Afar armed group in Ethiopia. It is led by Ibrahim Osman Aliyu, also known as Haji Ibrahim, an Afar political and military figure from Berhale in the Afar Region.[1][2]
The group emerged following Ibrahim's defection to Eritrea in 2025 and became one of seven organisations announced as members of the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Coalition for Survival in September 2026.[3] ANURF subsequently participated in the 2026 Ethiopian offensive, fighting Ethiopian federal forces in the Afar Region alongside Tigrayan forces.[1]
History
[edit]Formation
[edit]In April 2025, Ibrahim Osman Aliyu left the Afar Region for neighbouring Eritrea following disputes with the Ethiopian federal government and authorities in the region.[4] Ethiopia Insight reported that his defection occurred amid divisions within Afar politics and tensions concerning relations between the Ethiopian government and Issa Somali communities.[5]
By August 2025, Ibrahim had organised approximately 300 members of the Afar Special Forces and other supporters.[2] He and his followers subsequently became associated with the name Afar National Unity Revolutionary Front (ANURF), also known as Afar Ugugumo.[1]
Alliance for Survival
[edit]On 20 September 2026, ANURF was announced as one of seven organisations forming the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Coalition for Survival, an alliance of armed opposition groups opposed to the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.[3] The other announced members included the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara Fano National Movement, Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a faction of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Benishangul People's Liberation Movement and the Gumuz People's Democratic Movement.[3]
Al Jazeera described ANURF, the TPLF and the Amhara Fano National Movement as three strategically significant members of the coalition because of their positions in northern Ethiopia near the Eritrean border.[1]
2026 Ethiopian offensive
[edit]ANURF became an active belligerent in the 2026 Ethiopian offensive in September 2026. On 23 September, Tigrayan forces allied with ANURF advanced into several districts of Zone 2 of the Afar Region.[1] Fighting involving ANURF and allied forces was reported around Abala, near the border between the Afar and Tigray regions.[6]
ANURF claimed that its forces had taken control of areas in northern Afar during the offensive. These territorial claims were not independently verified.[6] The fighting formed part of simultaneous clashes between the federal government and opposition forces in Tigray, Amhara and Afar.[1]
Leadership
[edit]ANURF is led by Ibrahim Osman Aliyu, commonly known as Haji Ibrahim. He is from Berhale in Zone 2 of the Afar Region and has been described as an Afar political and military figure.[1]
In 2025, Ibrahim defected to Eritrea with members of the Afar Special Forces and other supporters. By August of that year, approximately 300 personnel and supporters were reported to have been organised under him.[2]
Aims
[edit]ANURF describes its objectives in terms of the political rights, security and self-determination of the Afar people. During the September 2026 fighting, Ibrahim stated that the group's conflict was directed against the ruling Prosperity Party, rather than the Afar population or other Afar armed groups.[1]
As a member of the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Coalition for Survival, ANURF joined an alliance whose stated objective was to remove the Prosperity Party-led federal government and establish a transitional government.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mohamed Kheir Omer (25 September 2026). "Ethiopia's new rebel alliance faces an old problem". aljazeera.com. Wikidata Q141568405. Archived from the original on 26 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Mohamed Kheir Omer (14 August 2025). "Are Eritrea and Ethiopia already at war?". The Pan African Review. Wikidata Q141568434. Archived from the original on 26 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Seven Ethiopian armed groups formally announce formation of a coalition". Addis Standard. 20 September 2026. Wikidata Q141547056.
- ↑ "Ethiopia's Afar leadership splits over Issa question". Africa Intelligence. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ Muktar Ismail (10 November 2025). "Pawn on the Red Sea: Ethiopia's Afar Gambit". Ethiopia Insight. Wikidata Q141568525. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Ethiopian Opposition Forces Take Control of Abala Town in Afar". News Addis. 23 September 2026. Retrieved 28 September 2026.