Addis Abeba — The Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO), an Ethiopia-based political and insurgent group, announced the graduation of a new cohort of fighters following more than three months of intensive military training.
In a statement released after the graduation ceremony, the group's leader and commander of its forces, Ibrahim Haroun, praised the recruits for their discipline and determination, describing the completion of their training as a step toward strengthening the organization's military capabilities.
According to RSADO, the training focused on combat operations, guerrilla tactics, physical conditioning, and strategic maneuvering in both open and populated areas. Ibrahim Haroun reiterated the organization's stated mission of defending the rights of Red Sea Afar communities and opposing what it described as repression by the Eritrean government. He said the group intends to enhance its operational capacity, including the development of naval capabilities, to meet what he called "current political and military requirements."
The group also called on Eritrean opposition movements to unite under a common front to challenge the Eritrean government, which Haroun accused of threatening peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. In closing, RSADO expressed "sincere gratitude" to the Afar regional government and people in Ethiopia for what it described as their continued support of the organization's cause, calling their solidarity "a key pillar" in sustaining its activities.
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In July, RSADO said it is fighting against the Eritrean regime and announced its resolve to continue "its political and military struggle, with sacrifice, until its objectives are achieved," following a public conference held in Semera-Logia city, the capital of the Afar regional state, on 13 July.
In a statement issued after the conference, the group said, "Since Eritrea's independence, the ruling People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) regime has, from the outset, committed numerous injustices and atrocities against the Red Sea Afar people. In particular, it has violated the rights recognized under the African Union Charter, specifically those outlined in Articles 1 to 25, implementing ruthless oppression and injustice against the Red Sea Afar people."
The conference took place against the backdrop of accusations and counter-accusations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which RSADO said risk "turning the area into a battlefield" and have already displaced Red Sea Afar communities from the border region.
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In late July, the Eritrean Afar National Congress (EANC), another opposition group against the Eritrean government, announced its preparation for armed struggle against the regime of President Isaias Afwerki.
Speaking to Deutsche Welle, EANC executive committee member and spokesperson Ali Mohammed Omer said the group has opened an office in Semera, the capital of Ethiopia's Afar Region, and plans to expand operations to Addis Abeba. "The Ethiopian government has given us the opportunity to operate and speak," he said, adding that their return to the region marks a shift from diaspora-based advocacy to active mobilization on the ground.
These developments come amid heightened tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea following Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's October 2023 remarks on gaining Red Sea access, which drew criticism from both Eritrea and Djibouti.
The Afar people, who straddle the borders of Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti, are increasingly at the center of the region's geopolitical dynamics.
