APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his government will take legal measures against ‘agent provocateurs’ ostensibly trying to disrupt moves to dissolve regional security forces and reintegrating them into the federal army.
“We are well prepared to ensure law and order and dismantle those forces who could play a destructive role and stand against the government’s plan to form a strong national defense force,” said Ahmed on Sunday in a statement.
He said the government’s decision to dissolve and reintegrate regional Special Forces into other security structures will be implemented as planned and it will be done so ‘even if’ there is a price to be paid.
The Prime Minister’s warning came a day after General Ababaw Tadesse,Deputy Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) told state media that the move to dissolve regional special forces was neither to ‘disarm’ nor to ‘dismantle’ them .
Rather, Tadesse, said to ‘reorganize’ and to ‘reform’ the forces was a “matter of consultation” whose work has been in the making for the last four years.
In a lengthy four pages, the prime minister released through his social media accounts, PM Ahmed explained that the decision was discussed amongst leaders and members of regional Special Forces.
These remarks from PM Ahmed came in the midst of ongoing protests in several cities and towns of the Amhara region after the official announcement of Thursday April 06 triggered a backlash in the region where protests began taking to the streets on Friday.
MG/as/APA