Benishangul People's Liberation Movement or BPLM is an armed rebel group based in the

Benishangul-Gumuz Region Benishangul-Gumuz () is a regional state in northwestern Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Er ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. BPLM signed peace deals with the federal Ethiopian government in 2005, 2013 and 2022.

Creation

According to '' Tigrai Online'', Benishangul People's Liberation Movement was created in 1996 as an armed rebel movement. An Ethiopian prosecutor claimed that BPLM was created by Abdulwahab Mehadi in 2007.

Aims

BPLM claimed in 2018 that the

Berta people The Berta (Bertha) or Funj or Benishangul are an ethnic group living along the border of Sudan and Ethiopia. They speak a Nilo-Saharan language that is not related to those of their Nilo-Saharan neighbors ( Gumuz, Uduk). The total population of ...

and the

Gumuz people The Gumuz (also spelled Gumaz and Gumz) are an ethnic group speaking a Nilo-Saharan language inhabiting the Benishangul-Gumuz Region in western Ethiopia, as well as the Fazogli region in Sudan. They speak the Gumuz language, which belongs to the N ...

were "oppressed by all three of Ethiopia's most powerful communities" and that the

Oromo Liberation Front The Oromo Liberation Front (, abbreviated: ABO; English abbreviation: OLF) is an Oromo nationalist political party formed in 1973 to promote self-determination and the independence for the Oromo people inhabiting today's Oromia Region and Oromi ...

had attacked local inhabitants in Kamashi Zone.

Leadership

According to an Ethiopian prosecutor, Abdulwahab Mehadi headed BPLM from 2007 to 2015. Husien Ahmed was one BPLM's leaders in 2013.

Peace processes

BPLM signed a peace deal with the federal Ethiopian government in 2005. Fighting resumed in 2006. In June 2013, BPLM and the federal government agreed to a peace deal in 2013. BPLM members were promised an amnesty from prosecution and governmental support under the deal. BPLM detainees were released. Fighting resumed in 2019. In October 2022, the BPLM signed another peace agreement with the government and agreed to conduct dialogue with the regional government.

Eritrean support

BPLM received support, including military training, in

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

, according to an Ethiopian prosecutor and Husien Ahmed, one of BPLM's leaders.

Military actions

In 2015, ten BPLM members were charged with armed attacks against the

Ethiopian National Defense Force The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) () is the combined military force of Ethiopia. ENDF is consisted of 10 command forces which is controlled by the Chief of General Staff. Commanders of the Military Supreme Commander – Taye At ...

(ENDF) in a 30-minute gun battle at Bulfadto in

Asosa Asosa or Assosa is the capital of Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Ethiopia. Located in the Asosa Zone, this town has a latitude and longitude of , with an elevation of 1,570 meters. History According to the Dutch explorer Juan Maria Schuver, who vi ...

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite news , title= The Benishangul People's Liberation Movement (BPLM) quits armed struggle and returns home , date= 2013-06-09 , newspaper= Tigrai Online , url= https://www.tigraionline.com/articles/bplm-quits-armed-struggle.html , access-date= 2021-11-05 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211105005519/https://www.tigraionline.com/articles/bplm-quits-armed-struggle.html , archive-date= 2021-11-05 , url-status=live {{cite news , title= Ethiopian rebel group ends arms struggle, returns home , date= 2013-06-09 , newspaper=

Sudan Tribune The ''Sudan Tribune'' is an electronic news portal on Sudan and South Sudan and neighbouring countries including news coverage, analyses and commentary, official reports and press releases from various organizations, and maps. It is based in P ...

, url= https://sudantribune.com/article45983 , access-date= 2021-11-05 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211105010636/https://sudantribune.com/article45983 , archive-date= 2021-11-05 , url-status=live {{cite news , title= Ethiopia charges ten for attacks against members of Defense Forces , date= 2015-01-23 , newspaper=

Addis Standard ''Addis Standard'' is an Ethiopian monthly social, economic and political news magazine published and distributed by Jakenn Publishing Plc, and was established in February 2011 by Tsedale Lemma, who is also the editor-in-chief of the magazine ...

, url= https://eng.addisstandard.com/ethiopia-charges-ten-for-attacks-against-members-of-defense-forces , access-date= 2021-11-05 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211105005438/https://eng.addisstandard.com/ethiopia-charges-ten-for-attacks-against-members-of-defense-forces , archive-date= 2021-11-05 , url-status=live {{cite web , last1 = Gebreselassie , first1 = Elias , title= Rising allies may breach frontier despite EPRDF stalling on expansion , website= Ethiopia Insight , date = 2018-10-19 , url = https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/2018/10/19/rising-allies-may-breach-frontier-despite-eprdf-stalling-on-expansion , access-date = 2021-11-05 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191108082523/https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/2018/10/19/rising-allies-may-breach-frontier-despite-eprdf-stalling-on-expansion , archive-date= 2019-11-08 , url-status=live {{cite web , first1= Ermias , last1=Tasfaye , title= EIEP: Prosperity Party's win is a loss for Oromia—and Ethiopia , website= Ethiopia Insight , date = 2021-08-19 , url = https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/2021/08/19/eiep-prosperity-partys-win-is-a-loss-for-oromia-and-ethiopia , access-date = 2021-11-05 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211105010259/https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/2021/08/19/eiep-prosperity-partys-win-is-a-loss-for-oromia-and-ethiopia , archive-date= 2021-11-05 , url-status=live {{void, example citation code for copying/pasting: {{cite news , last1= , first1= , last2= , first2= , pages= , language = , title= , trans-title = , date= , publisher= , newspaper= , url= , access-date= 2021... , archive-url= , archive-date= 2021... , url-status=live {{cite web , last1 = , first1 = , last2= , first2= , authorlink = , language = , title= , trans-title = , work = , publisher = , website= , date = , url = , format = , doi = , access-date = 2021... , archive-url= , archive-date= 2021... , url-status=live United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces Benishangul-Gumuz Region Rebel groups in Ethiopia