Ethiopian Army Chief Announces Dissolution of Special Forces

Ethiopian Army Chief Berhanu Jula announced today, Saturday, the dissolution of the regional special forces in the country, following days of violent protests in the Amhara region against plans to integrate these forces. He indicated to the government-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation that "members of the special forces will join the regional police, federal police, or federal army," stating, "What remains now is their transfer for deployment, and they will receive guidance and training." He added, "Now we only have the national defense, federal police, regional regular police, and regional armed groups; any entities outside of these are illegal and must be subjected to correction." Violent protests erupted last week in several towns in Amhara against the plans to integrate the special forces, lasting for six days.