The ENDF is one of the strongest and highly disciplined armies in Africa with a history which dates back to the ancient days of the formation of the statehood of the country. It is a multi-ethnic power house of Ethiopian unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is a pan Africanist force which supported the liberation of African countries from the shekels of colonialism and promoter of national, regional and global peace keeping missions across the world.
Ethiopia has made substantial contributions to global peacekeeping, particularly through the deployment of troops in United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) missions.
Ethiopia is among the top troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions. Ethiopian soldiers have been involved in numerous missions across Africa, helping to stabilize conflict zones and support post-conflict recovery. Their contributions to these missions are critical in maintaining peace and security in war-torn regions.
Ethiopian peacekeepers units from ENDF have participated in African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM and ATMIS), playing a crucial role in fighting extremist groups like Al-Shabaab and contributing to the stabilization of Somalia. Ethiopia’s military presence in Somalia is part of broader regional efforts to fight terrorism and insurgency.
ENDF contingents under UNMISS in South Sudan, where they work to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian assistance, and support the peace process. Additionally, Ethiopia has been instrumental in UNISFA in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan, where Ethiopian troops have been the primary peacekeeping force.
Ethiopia’s peacekeeping efforts through the ENDF are not limited to military support. The country has also been a leader in political and diplomatic peace initiatives, including mediating peace talks in conflict zones like South Sudan and the Sudan-Ethiopia border regions.
Since the 1950s, Ethiopian troops have participated in peacekeeping missions. For example, during the Korean War, Ethiopia sent troops as part of the UN’s efforts, marking one of its first international military involvements. This tradition has continued through their involvement in various UN missions across the world.
Ethiopia’s contributions to global peacekeeping have earned the country recognition for its commitment to maintaining international peace and security, particularly in Africa.
What therefore are the fundamental internal indicators that show the unique features of modern Ethiopian defense forces who paid in blood and flesh of her sons and daughters not only for the defense of the country against local intruders but also international irredentist forces?
The modern Ethiopian army is a reformed apolitical defense force that is engaged in not only defensing the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country but also an active partner in Ethiopia’s multiple sets of development programs and one of the nodal points of national technological innovations.
The Ethiopian army is undergoing a reform process comprising six programs, which its strategists hope will achieve 11 goals. In the eyes of the architects of the defense reforms, the objectives are to strengthen civilian oversight, enhance social control, make it transparent and accountable, as well as modernize it to become professional, modern and competent enough to respond to predictable and unpredictable threats.
Ethiopia possesses well-structured, disciplined and integrated army comprising of the ground, air and naval forces that is actively participating in building the capacity of the defense forces of the neighboring countries like Somalia and South Sudan. Ethiopia helped to reestablish the current federal government of Somalia by providing military and civil related trainings in the spirit of pan Africanism and its foreign policy of prioritizing relations with the neighboring countries as well as in peace.
The strength of the ENDF lies both in its social base and ethnic mix and its commitment in pioneering the struggle against international terrorism, arms trafficking in cooperation with national security forces and international partners who are fighting against global terrorism.
The ENDF is rendering significant contributions to the development and promotion of TVET and higher education of learning through the Defense University, War College in which highly qualified officers and commanders are graduating every hear to serve in the ENDF,
Besides, ENDF is contributing to the universal health service development of the country through its quality services through modern referral hospitals, field hospitals and health centers constructed by the engineering sector of the army which are proving quality services to the armed forces, their families and community members.
One of the most important contributions of the ENDF is in the areas of transfer of technology in developing and modifying modern armaments including armored vehicles, fighter jets and other arsenals used by the army. The engineering section of the ENDF has been providing technical support to the construction of GERD which is now on its final stage of completion.
By way of promoting food security and self-sufficiency in food items, various ENDF commands and divisions are engaged in agricultural development programs in their areas of operations.
In terms of social services, the ENDF Construction units and ENDF Foundation are contributing to the development of logistics services, housing construction programs and other integrated and comprehensive services that clearly indicate that the ENDF is indeed the people’s army.
It is now obvious that the Ethiopian Navy is steadily but surly joining the defense forces of the country with the objective of contributing its part in ascertaining the safety of ship and security of the Red Sea trade route from the encroachments of sea piracy and illicit arms trafficking in the Horn of Africa.
BY SOLOMON DIBABA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER 2024
