Introduction
How is the Military in Ethiopia and how does it work to maintain Sucity and fight terrorism? In terms of Military and security forces, we have the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian Air Force (Ye Ityopya Ayer Hayl, ETAF) (2023).
In Ethiopia, the ENDF has been one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest, most experienced, and best equipped militaries, but it suffered heavy casualties and equipment losses during the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict; the ENDF is focused on both external threats emanating from its neighbors and internal threats from multiple internal armed groups; since 1998, the ENDF has engaged in several conventional and counterinsurgency operations, including border wars with Eritrea (1998-2000) and Somalia (2006-2008) and internal conflicts with the Tigray regional state (2020-2022), several insurgent groups and ethnic militias (including the ethnonationalist Amhara Fano), and the al-Shabaab terrorist group
as of 2024, the ENDF was conducting counterinsurgency operations against anti-government militants in several states, including in Oromya (Oromia) against the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), an insurgent group that claims to be fighting for greater autonomy for the Oromo, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group; in 2022, militants from the Somalia-based al-Shabaab terrorist group launched an incursion into Ethiopia's Somali (Sumale) regional state, attacking villages and security forces; the Ethiopian Government claimed that regional security forces killed hundreds of al-Shabaab fighters and subsequently deployed additional ENDF troops into Somalia’s Gedo region to prevent further incursions (2024)
as of 2024, the ENDF was conducting counterinsurgency operations against anti-government militants in several states, including in Oromya (Oromia) against the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), an insurgent group that claims to be fighting for greater autonomy for the Oromo, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group; in 2022, militants from the Somalia-based al-Shabaab terrorist group launched an incursion into Ethiopia's Somali (Sumale) regional state, attacking villages and security forces; the Ethiopian Government claimed that regional security forces killed hundreds of al-Shabaab fighters and subsequently deployed additional ENDF troops into Somalia’s Gedo region to prevent further incursions (2024)
Security and military information of Ethiopia
| Military and security service personnel strengths | information varies; prior to the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict, approximately 150,000 active-duty troops (2023) |
|---|---|
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the ENDF's inventory is comprised mostly of Russian and Soviet-era equipment; in recent years, the ENDF has received arms from a variety of countries, including China, Israel, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates; Ethiopia has a modest industrial defense base centered on small arms and production of armored vehicles (2023) |
| Military service age and obligation | 18-22 years of age for voluntary military service (although the military may, when necessary, recruit a person more than 22 years old); no compulsory military service, but the military can conduct callups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2023). |
| Military deployments | as many as 10,000 troops in Somalia (approximately 3,000 for ATMIS; the remainder under a bilateral agreement with the Somali Government; note - foreign troop contingents in Somalia under ATMIS are drawing down towards a final departure in December 2024); 1,500 South Sudan (UNMISS) (2024). |
| Military expenditures | |
| Military Expenditures 2023 | 1% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2022 | 1.7% of GDP (2022 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2021 | 0.5% of GDP (2021 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2020 | 0.5% of GDP (2020 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2019 | 0.6% of GDP (2019 est.) |
Terrorism
In Ethiopia, the different Terrorist group(s) inlcude: al-Shabaab; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force
All Important Facts about Ethiopia
Want to know more about Ethiopia? Check all different factbooks for Ethiopia below.
