Ethiopian Regional Special Forces
የኢትዮጵያ ልዩ ሀይል
Active2007–present
Country Ethiopia
AllegianceEthiopian Federal Police
Branch Ethiopian National Defense Force
TypeParamilitary
Gendarmerie
RoleReserve army
Counter-insurgency
Size
  • 105,000 active personnel
  • 85,000 reserve personnel
  • 20,000 paramilitaries[1]
EquipmentAK-47
AKM
Type 56
RPK
PKM
RPD
DShK
Dragunov SVD
FN FAL
RPG-7
Engagements
Commanders
Current
commander		Birhanu Jula (Chief of General Staff)

The Ethiopian Regional Special Forces (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ልዩ ሀይል) are a paramilitary and gendarmerie force that were first established in 2007 by the order of the federal government in order to counter the insurgency in the Somali Region. Part of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, it has the specialized task to maintain regional and nationwide security and counter any form of insurgencies and terrorist incidents.[2]

In 2015, the Ethiopian government announced that the Regional Special Forces were fully integrated.

Background and role

The Regional Special Forces were first introduced in Ethiopia by the government and foreign assistance in 2007 during the Insurgency in Ogaden. This unit evolved to operate in all regions in Ethiopia. The Regional Special Forces are deployed by the federal government to maintain security primarily against insurgencies. The regional forces are heavily armed and receive military training, and grew rapidly in size following the recruitment of senior Ethiopian military officers into their ranks. As the Regional Special Forces do not have legal provision compared to the federal and regional government police, all regional state governments use the Regional Special Forces, remaining the dominant figurehead behind settling international border security and intrastate conflicts, that are mandated by the federal government forces.[2][3]

On 15 April 2015, the government announced that the unit was fully integrated. The role and status of the Regional Special Forces have been contested. On 6 April 2023, the Ethiopian government decided to dismantle the Amhara Regional Special Forces by integrating them into the National Defense Force, the Federal Police and the regional police unit which resulted in large-scale protests that ultimately lead to the start of the ongoing War in Amhara.[4][3][5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Actor Profiles - Ethiopia Peace Observatory - ACLED". Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 "The Special Police in Ethiopia | EIP". www.eip.org. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
  3. 1 2 Staff Reporter (2023-04-08). "In Defense Of Dissolution Of Regional Special Forces | The Reporter | Latest Ethiopian News Today". www.thereporterethiopia.com. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
  4. ↑ "Dismantling the Regional Special Forces in Ethiopia: Assessing Its Constitutionality | Wilson Center". www.wilsoncenter.org. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
  5. ↑ Endeshaw, Dawit (2023-04-06). "Ethiopia to dismantle regional special forces in favour of 'centralized army'". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
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