Nearly four years after a peace deal ended war in Ethiopia's Tigray region, renewed clashes have erupted, with Tigrayan forces seizing a key airport and seven armed groups forming an unusual coalition.
Seven armed groups have joined forces with the stated aim of overthrowing the Ethiopian government, raising fears of a wider conflict.
The 66th anniversary comes as armed groups expand their reach and the government struggles to secure key supply routes.
The groups say they will set aside their differences amid fears of a widening conflict, Al Jazeera reported.
The alliance, which includes the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Amhara Fano movement, says it aims to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.
A senior Iraqi source attributes a September attack on Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline to a resistance splinter group, highlighting the prime minister's difficulty managing armed factions.