The Ethiopian government has said it intends to integrate all regional special forces either into the national army or the federal or regional police, a move likely to be perceived as an attempt to diminish the autonomy of individual regions.
Ethiopia’s 10 regions currently enjoy a degree of autonomy, ranging from having their own armies to the right to use their own language. 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.
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. Critics say Abiy, who won a Nobel Peace Prize after taking power as a reformist in 2018, is cracking down on dissent around Ethiopia.
Read more here.
