Alliance for Survival rejects Rubio's 'separatist' and 'terrorist' labels and urges Washington to take a balanced position
The coalition of seven armed and political groups said its operations were self-defence and "not driven by separatist objectives", Addis Standard reported on 19 October.

The Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival rejected US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's description of Ethiopia's conflict as separatist and terrorist, in a statement issued on 18 October. It said its operations were self-defence and "not driven by separatist objectives", rejected the description of its attacks on government military installations as terrorism, and urged Washington to adopt "a balanced and constructive position". Addis Standard reported the statement on 19 October.
The Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival — the coalition of seven armed and political groups that includes the TPLF, the Oromo Liberation Army and the Amhara Fano National Movement — issued a statement on 18 October rejecting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's description of Ethiopia's conflict as separatist and terrorist, Addis Standard reported.
The alliance said its operations were self-defence and were "not driven by separatist objectives", and said its attacks on government military installations should not be described as terrorism. It said such labels "could encourage the government to continue its military campaign", described its goal as "an inclusive democratic transition", and urged Washington to adopt "a balanced and constructive position".
The statement also accused federal forces of using more advanced weapons against military and civilian areas. Addis Standard said it could not independently verify that claim.
Rubio, in remarks reported on 19 October, described armed groups fighting federal forces as separatist organisations and recent drone strikes on infrastructure near Addis Ababa as acts of terrorism. He warned that troop deployments along the Ethiopia–Eritrea border could widen the war into a regional conflict.
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