Ethiopian Regional Special Forces

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

Ethiopian Regional Special Forces
የኢትዮጵያ ልዩ ሀይል
Active	2007–present
Country	Ethiopia
Allegiance	Ethiopian Federal Police
Branch	Ethiopian National Defense Force
Type	Paramilitary Gendarmerie
Role	Gendarmerie Reserve army Counter-insurgency Internal security Light infantry
Size	105,000 active personnel 85,000 reserve personnel 20,000 paramilitaries[1]
Equipment	AK-47 AKM Type 56 RPK PKM RPD DShK Dragunov SVD FN FAL RPG-7 WZ-551
Engagements	Insurgency in Ogaden Ethiopian civil conflict (2018–present) OLA insurgency Benishangul-Gumuz conflict Afar–Somali clashes Tigray War Al-Fashaga conflict al-Shabaab invasion of Ethiopia War in Amhara
Commanders
Current commander	Birhanu Jula (Chief of General Staff)

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 through the establishment of the Somali Region's Liyu Police. They evolved to operate in all regions in Ethiopia and restructured to operate similar to that of the US National Guard. The Regional Special Forces are a gendarmerie as well as a reserve force deployed by the federal government to maintain security primarily against insurgencies. The regional forces are heavily armed and receive military training, and they grew exponentially 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 Regional Special Forces unit in the Amhara Region (Amhara Special Forces) by integrating them into the regular Ethiopian military, 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]

Regional branches

Amhara Regional Special Forces

The Amhara Regional Special Forces is headed by the commander-in-chief of the Regional Special Forces. In April 2023, the Ethiopian government's plan to dismantle the paramilitary structure of the regional forces and integrate them into the ENDF, Federal Police, and regional police units led to massive protests in the Amhara region that ultimately led to the outbreak of the War in Amhara.^[6][7]

Oromia Regional Special Forces

The Oromia Regional Special Forces maintains security situation in the Oromia Region. The Oromia regional forces have been accused of collaborating and being complicit in the atrocities of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in western Oromia. In May 2024, the OLA and Oromia regional forces were accused as perpetrators for an attack in the Bulen district of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region.^[8][9]

See also

• Liyu Police