The Ethiopian government says it plans to incorporate all regional special forces into the national army, federal or regional police, or both, a move that will be interpreted as an attempt to limit the autonomy of particular areas. Ethiopia is divided into ten regions, each of which has varying degrees of autonomy, ranging from having their own regional army 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. Amhara forces backed Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s federal troops against rebellious forces in northern Tigray when conflict erupted there in 2020. In May 2022 the former commander of Amhara region’s forces, a prominent critic of Abiy, was arrested alongside local journalists.

Source: Ethiopian News April 08, 2023 20:32 UTC