The Ethiopian government said on Thursday it intends to integrate all regional special forces either into the national army, or the federal or regional police, a move likely to be perceived as an attempt to diminish the autonomy of individual regions.
Ethiopia is organised in 10 regions that enjoy a degree of autonomy, ranging from having their own regional army to the right to use their own language.
"The government has set a direction to build one strong and centralized army ... it has started practical steps that will allow special forces of every region to be integrated into different security structures," the government said in a statement.
