Ethiopia to integrate regional forces into ‘centralised’ national army

The Ethiopian
government has said it intends to integrate all regional
special forces either into the national army, or the federal or
regional police.

“The government has set a direction to build one strong and
centralised army … it has started practical steps that will
allow special forces of every region to be integrated into
different security structures,” the government said in a
statement on Thursday.

Hours before the announcement, local media from the Amhara
region, Ethiopia’s second largest, reported clashes between
national and regional forces brought about by a refusal among
Amhara Special Forces’ units to surrender weapons as part of the
integration process.

Gizachew Muluneh, spokesperson for the Amhara region did not
immediately respond to requests for comment.

Unrest in Amhara

In its statement the government confirmed tensions had
arisen in Amhara but blamed it on a misunderstanding of the
policy and on fringe groups within the regional force.

Amhara forces backed Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s federal
troops against rebellious forces in northern Tigray when
conflict erupted there in 2020.

It is not the first time that unrest has broken out in the
region. In May 2022 the former commander of Amhara region’s
forces, a prominent critic of Abiy, was arrested.

Back in 2019 an uprising led by a different dissident
general killed the regional president and chief of army staff.

Ethiopia is organised in 10 regions that enjoy a degree of autonomy, ranging from having their own regional army to the right to use their own language.

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

The woman had applied to be kindergarten teacher and was rejected because of her headscarf.

The president admitted that during the demonstrations, protesters not only objected to the reform plan but also to their living standards and soaring prices.

Controversial bill that would eliminate "special protection" residency permits for migrants who don't qualify for asylum, but who face humanitarian risks back home, passes government.

5 cubic kilometres (1.2 cubic miles) of ice melted in the Alps, Copernicus says in its European State of the Climate Report 2022.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is now on its 421st day.

Rail workers' union says it needs to step up pressure on employers as it seeks inflation-busting pay raise.

Resignation follows findings into eight formal complaints that the deputy leader and justice secretary had been abusive toward staff members during a previous stint in that office and while serving as Britain's foreign secretary and Brexit secretary.

Accidentally released from a Su-34 bomber of the Russian air force, the bomb left a 20-metre-wide crater in the middle of a boulevard flanked by apartments, injuring two.

In March, Pristina and Belgrade verbally agreed to implement a Western-backed plan to improve ties and defuse tensions in northern Kosovo by offering more autonomy to local Serbs.

International students from Syria and Ukraine also came under a barrage of insults by the German language teacher at a school in the Austrian capital.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is now on its 422nd day.

Drop in precipitation has led to the steady retreat of the lake's water, which in some places has receded by up to three kilometers putting the species that depend on it and another nearby body of water at risk.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is now on its 423rd day.

The report suggests the overall death tolls for the continent could be higher as it did not cover major industrial nations of Russia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

"Some want my legitimacy to be tested ... . Let's have a referendum," says Aleksandar Vucic.

Europe's biggest economy has seen some of the most disruptive strikes in decades this year as unions press for higher wages to offset the surging cost of living.

Tomorrows session in Moscow aims to help bring peace in region, says Turkish national defence minister

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is now on its 426th day.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announces travel ban and assets freeze on four individuals and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "in its entirety".

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is now in its 420th day.

With the adoption of new legislation, cocoa, coffee, palm oil and soya exporters must prove their products do not contribute to deforestation.

Church bells and sirens will sound in honour of those killed during the month-long revolt in 1943, which was the largest single act of Jewish resistance against the Germans during World War II.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is now in its 419th day.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is now on its 417th day.

The unions are demanding an increase in real wages this year after two years of consumer prices rising faster than nominal wages, citing healthy profits in Norwegian industries.