RULAC Classifies a Second Non-International Armed Conflict in Ethiopia

Our Rule of Law in Armed Conflict (RULAC) online portal just classified a parallel NIAC in the country between Ethiopia and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).

In addition to the ongoing non-international armed conflict (NIAC) that opposes the Ethiopian armed forces to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), our Rule of Law in Armed Conflict (RULAC) online portal just classified a parallel NIAC in the country between Ethiopia and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA).

‘Both the intensity of the armed violence opposing the Ethiopian armed forces and OLA’s troops – that increased over the past two years – along with the level of organization of OLA allow us to conclude today to the existence of a NIAC’ underlines Dr Chiara Redaelli, Research Fellow at the Geneva Academy.

Information About the Parties, Classification and Applicable International Law

The entry on this conflict provides detailed information about this armed group, the classification and applicable international law.

Following the designation of OLA as a terrorist organization by Ethiopia in August 2021 and its alliance with TPLF in August 2021, clashes started in October 2021 in the Oromia region between OLA and Ethiopian armed forces intensified in 2022.