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Ethiopia's Army Chief Announces Abolition of Regional Special Forces

© AP PhotoEthiopian military parade with national flags attached to their rifles at a rally organized by local authorities to show support for the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), at Meskel square in downtown Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Nov. 7, 2021.
Ethiopian military parade with national flags attached to their rifles at a rally organized by local authorities to show support for the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), at Meskel square in downtown Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Nov. 7, 2021. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 15.04.2023
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Earlier this month, the Ethiopian government revealed its plans to incorporate all regional special forces into either the national army or the federal or regional police. Following the decision, protests were reported in the Amhara region, with clashes between members of the regional special forces and the army.
The organizational structure of regional special forces no longer exists "starting from today," said Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, chief of staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, as cited by local media.
The announcement was made during a review session of the regional special forces’ reorganization process into federal and regional security institutions attended by defense generals, federal police, and regional officials.

“From today there is no organization and structure called regional special force," the field marshal is quoted as saying.

It is expected that the forces will be soon transported to their assigned places and put into training based on their choices of reintegration. He stated that as of now, the country's security structure consists of defense, as well as federal and regional police, highlighting that there will be no force that accepts missions or duties in the name of regional special forces.
The field marshal noted that with the reorganization of regional special forces, a strong national security institution will be built. He recalled that the main reasons for the start of reorganization process were the illegitimacy of regional special forces, the security threat they represent to the regions, as well as their tendency to solve issues by force.

He also underlined that the nation managed to come out of the security crisis it recently faced very quickly. Apart from that, he pointed out that the implementation of the Pretoria peace agreement "is going well."

A member of a military marching band attends a ceremony to remember those soldiers who died on the first day of the Tigray conflict, outside the city administration office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 07.04.2023
Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethiopia Aims to Build 'Centralized Army' by Disbanding Regional Special Forces
On April 6, protests reportedly erupted in the Amhara region after the federal government announced the start of "practical activities" to dissolve the regional state special forces and reorganize them into regular regional and federal police, and the national army. Clashes were reported between government security forces and civilians protesting the reorganization, as well as between members of the regional special forces and the national army.
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