Ethiopia Military

Ethiopia is a large African nation located in the Horn of Africa. With a population of around 109,717,827 people, it is one of the most populous countries in the region. Ethiopia is a federal parliamentary republic and its military consists of three branches: the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), Ethiopian Federal Police, and Ethiopian Air Force. The ENDF are responsible for defending the country’s borders and sovereignty, as well as providing security to its citizens. In terms of defense spending, Ethiopia spends approximately $1.3 billion annually on its military, making it one of the highest defense spending nations in Africa. The country also participates in several United Nations-led peacekeeping missions such as those in South Sudan and Somalia. Ethiopia is also a member of both the African Union (AU) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and has close ties with other IGAD members such as Eritrea and Sudan. See naturegnosis to learn more about the country of Ethiopia.

Defense

The defense was reorganized after the 1991–93 civil war in northern Ethiopia/Eritrea resulting in 1993 in independent Eritrea. To see related acronyms about this country, please check ABBREVIATIONFINDER where you can see that ETH stands for Ethiopia. An agreement was reached on the distribution of age-old Soviet stock. Struggles flared up again in 1998–2000. The combat forces (2006) amount to about 180,000 men enlisted, which is organized in an army of six divisions and a strategic reserve of six brigades. The Air Force, 2,500 men, comprises 48 fighter planes and 25 (attack) helicopters. The equipment is older and of Soviet origin with low reliability. The issue of spare parts is partly solved through purchases from North Korea. Defense costs have decreased from 17.9 to 3.8% of GDP in 1985-2006. Ethiopia participates in peacekeeping operations in Burundi (ONUB) and Liberia (UNMIL).

Ethiopia Army

That same month, nearly 40 African state leaders in Adis Ababa met for the African Union (AU) summit.

In May 2005, the Ethiopian government and several UN humanitarian organizations called on the international community to contribute $ 320 million. US $ in humanitarian relief to the country. The call was justified by the increase in the number of people in extreme poverty and the delays in the distribution of emergency aid in the first months of the year. The original target was DKK 272 million. However, due to the deterioration of the population situation, this was raised to 320, of which donors had already guaranteed 47%. Acc. The UN has 3.8 million. Ethiopians need relief.

  • COUNTRYAAH: Do you know where is Ethiopia on the world map? Come to see the location and all bordering countries of Ethiopia.

The May 2005 election had a 90% turnout and was won by Prime Minister Zenawi, who declared that the high turnout was an indication of the success of his democratization policy. The opposition stated that its candidates and sympathizers had in some places been harassed, but the opposition’s support was increased in the election. EU election observers stated that the election had been marked by fraud. A month later, police opened fire on a demonstration in Adis-Ababa where people protested against alleged electoral fraud. Over 20 protesters were killed, an unknown number wounded and many businesses destroyed. An independent October report stated that since May, the regime has killed 193 protesters during protests against the election.

The demonstrations continued throughout 2005 and each time the freedom of the press was curtailed. There were still fewer critical newspapers and by the end of the year, 14 journalists were under indictment that could lead to the death penalty.

In March 2006, Ethiopia and Eritrea agreed to resume cooperation on the demarcation of the border between the two countries.

On March 29, the World Bank, the IMF and the African Development Bank (ADB) gave the green light that 13 African countries – including Ethiopia – should have canceled their foreign debt. The cancellation took effect on July 1.

On December 24, 2006, Ethiopia invaded its ancient heirloom Somalia. Here, the Islamic courts had come to power, creating peace in the chaos that had dominated the country for the previous 15 years. But the United States feared that the Islamic courts would make Somalia a base for al-Qaeda, and therefore Ethiopia to invade. On December 29, Ethiopian forces entered Mogadishu, bringing the courts to a fall. Ethiopian occupation forces – supported by the United States – continue to exist in Somalia. The number of occupation troops is debated. Ethiopia speaks of 3-4,000 soldiers. The CIA says 7-8,000 while Somalis estimate the number is closer to 30,000.