Abiy Ahmed: Military centralization is important for the quality of the army

PM Abiy Ahmed at the 13th regular session of the House of People’s Representatives held today. Picture: PMO

ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has defended the decision of the government to push for centralization of the army, a move which he believes will strengthen the quality of national forces and its subsequent execution of operations across the Horn of Africa nation.

Last week, the government announced plans to dismantle the decentralization of security forces as part of the process to re-energize the military for the sake of strengthening its capability as a "ready mission" force that is able to defend the country from external threats and internal disputes.

The move, the government said, would see the 10 regions fold their forces by integrating them into the existing federal forces. This, Addis Ababa maintained, would make the command easier and more effective during operations besides making the army better and more organized.

And while reinforcing the message, PM Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said the quantity of the army does not matter, adding that the country will invest in quality by investing in training, doctrines, and armament of the existing force.

"There is no permanent benefit from temporary solutions. The strength of the country's army is determined by centralization of the command," the PM said in a lengthy message which explains his philosophy, backed with certain precedents.

"The power of the army is measured by the quality and not quantity. The quality comes from doctrines, training, armament, and chain of command. Military centralization is important for the quality of the army," he added.

Already, the Cabinet of the Somali Regional state has passed a unanimous vote to implement the federal government’s plan for “the reorganization of the special forces of the region”, regional and state, Edina media reported.

Accordingly, the state cabinet decided that the leaders and members of the Special Forces of the Somali Region [commonly known as Liyu Police] “will be integrated into various security structures, depending on their choices, of the Defense, the Federal Police, or the Regional Police.”

During an exclusive interview with Addis Standard in May 2019, Somali region president Mustafa Omer became the first high-level government official to openly float the possibilities of disbanding regional special forces.

“Realizing that the issue is not a disarmament issue, but to get more training and weapons and enter the structures where they can better serve the country, the cabinet of the region, after a wide discussion in today’s meeting, unanimously supported the decision,” Somali Fast info reported of today’s decision by the state cabinet.

The Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] has been instrumental in fostering peace and stability not just within Ethiopia but also across the borders. For instance, over 5,000 Ethiopian troops are now serving in the African Union peace mission component in Somalia, famously known as ATMIS. 

GAROWE ONLINE