Ethiopia begins dismantling regional military forces for integration

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Apr 2023 23:40
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Ethiopia aims to integrate regional military forces into the federal army, police, or civilian life, as per a government spokesperson.

A soldier from the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) looks on in Hayk, Ethiopia, on December 13, 2021. (AFP)

Ethiopia has started dismantling regional forces established by some states, aiming to integrate them into the federal army, police, or civilian life, a government spokesperson said Friday.

"Special forces members in the entirety of Ethiopia will be reorganized with their choices fully guaranteed and their desires respected," federal government spokesperson Selamawit Kassa told a press conference on Friday.

She added that members could either join the federal military, or the regional police or return to civilian life.

Her remarks came after a government communications agency announced on Thursday that "practical activity to enter the regions' security forces into various security structures" had begun.

It is worth noting that Ethiopia's constitution allows its 11 states, drawn up along linguistic and cultural lines, to operate their own regional police forces.

However, some states have gradually built up their own armies over the past 15 years, acting outside of these constitutional restraints.

In Amhara, which neighbors Tigray, forces of this kind as well as local militias reinforced support for federal forces in their two-year war against Tigrayan militants until a peace deal was inked in November 2022.

On Thursday, the government stated it intended "to build a strong centralized army that can maintain Ethiopia's sovereignty and unity."

"An understanding has been reached with the special forces leadership and members," it added.

The statement followed reports of localized unrest in Amhara where regional forces have begun to disarm.

"In some places based on lack of information and also without properly understanding the programme's aims... some (problems) have occurred," she said.

"The society shouldn't listen to false information... intended to confuse the population and to create a country which has a weak and disintegrated force," she added.

The peace deal inked last November between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopia's government has enraged some Amhara residents, who have a long history of border disputes with Tigray.

Since the start of the conflict, Amhara soldiers and regional militias known as the Fano have taken control of western Tigray, a region that is disputed between Amhara and Tigray and is still inaccessible to journalists.