Difference between revisions of "Ethiopian Gendarmerie (Italian Empire)"

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Ethiopian Gendarmerie Corps
ሐበሻ ፖሊስ Häbäsha Polis Corpo della Gendarmeria Etiope
Gendarmerie War Flag
Active	1971-present
Country	Ethiopian Empire
Allegiance	Italian Empire
Type	Gendarmerie
Size	160,000
Nickname	Zabagna
Commanders
Current commander	Lt. Gen. Tewdros Adhanem

The Ethiopian Gendarmerie Corps (Ahmaric: ሐበሻ ፖሊስ, Häbäsha Polis, literally meaning "Ethiopian Police"; Italian: Corpo della Gendarmeria Etiope) is the main police force in the Ethiopian Empire. The Ethiopian security is a complex matter due to the social, ethnic and religious complexity of the population of the Ethiopian Social Republic. The Ministry of Interior is in charge of handling security and policing affairs through the Directorate General of Public Security and through the Ethiopian Gendarmerie.
Both Interior officials and Gendarmes are part of all-Ethiopia services and, although enlisted Gendarmes after their conscription can be expected to serve in their native Province, this can never be assumed for granted, as both rewarding and punitive transfers are often ordered; officers cannot expect any fixed assignment. The all-Ethiopian nature is emphasized by the aggressive meritocracy in upper levels.

History

The 160,000-strong Gendarmerie was established in 1971, by amalgamating the former Carabinieri forces deployed in Ethiopia, Askari units and bands, and the security services of the major cities. Since its establishment, the Gendarmerie has been sometimes an unreliable organization (especially in the first years, when the last loyalist Abyssinians were still serving) but it had never been an overtly rebellious corps. In the 1976 Soviet-backed revolt and coup attempt, the combat forces of the Gendarmerie actively supported the National Republican Guard in crushing down rebel nests in Addis Ababa and in Dire Dawa. Lieutenant General Tadesse Werede Tesfay is the current Commandant, the fourth of Ethiopian descent, while Italian Ethiopian officers are still a significant part of the officers corps.

Ethiopian security strategy: a twofold approach

Ethiopian is exposed to several terrorism, guerilla warfare, insurgency and rebellion threats, both internal and external. In order to address these issues, the Ethiopian security establishment developed, over the years, a peculiar strategy which has proven to be both feasible and successful. The Ethiopian security strategy is a medium/long-term solution, unsuitable for sudden emergencies, but instead seeking to gradually weaken rebellion by engraining anti-insurgency into the very local cultural attributes and historical legacy of toleration of societies that comprise Ethiopia. The Ethiopian approach is based on trust-building, and sharing a common vision but mostly on principle of subsidiarity, which requires that all external actors should be back-up supporters of efforts by internal forces and local communities in the fight against terrorism. This approach also supports the building of close-knit neighbourhood associations that provide community-based peace and security with effective and permanent oversight by the state.
The Ethiopian doctrine on counterrorism and counterinsurgency stands out for two elements: supremacy of politics and struggle to dry out the terrorists' basin one one hand, and achieving peace and national unity through the gradual expansion of pockets of stability, legitimacy, law, and order in rebel-held areas.

Politics over military operations

The first element refers to supremacy of politics over the military components of the counterrorism and counterinsurgency strategies. Under the Ethiopian approach, politics must precede and lead both the military and criminal justice systems. The focus of the supremacy of politics lies with the objective of liberating areas for local communities to organise, arm themselves in local militias framed within the የፋሺሽት ጠባቂ, Yefashīshiti T’ebak, and fight back against terrorists. Such local militias are supported, according to the specific needs, by the Imperial Ethiopian National Defense Force or by the Ethiopian Gendarmerie. The political work involves mainly consultation between the Ethiopian Fascist Front (and its ethnic-based branches) with local communities and helping them in organising and arming themselves under the umbrella of the Fascist Guard in order to fight back against threats. The second element refers to focusing on traditional narratives of solidarity, thereby promoting hope against despair, both material and spiritual ones.

Legitimacy building

While traditional and military-based counterinsurgency strategies focus on controlling territories and populations, the Ethiopian approach focuses on public deliberations, training, arming, and establishing administrative units in areas liberated from insurgents in order to ensure their own peace and security, under the aegis of the State. This strategy directly relates to the governance and delivery of basic services in order to build hope within communities and security to sustain their own livelihoods. The approach is a gradualist one.

Military side

Given the priority of political and sustainment operations, the political work and community development advances before military operations and the counterinsurgency military must always follow and support the political and civilian officers. Actual military operations do have a place in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency, but only in a subsidiary role to the political officer, because the latter one cannot be replaced by a soldier or military representative.
The military (both the Imperial Ethiopian National Defense Force and the Ethiopian Gendarmerie) use to a great extent mobile field headquarters and command centres meshed in the community, primarily designed to support the local communities in their efforts against terrorism and to provide extra muscle when their efforts are outgunned by the enemy.

Organization

The Ethiopian Gendarmerie is a complex organization, structured in order to be able to function indpendently and to perform a wide range of missions. The Ethiopian Gendarmerie Corps is organised on a territorial basis for law-enforcement missions. The territorial organization represents the core of the institution; Outside the territorial organization, there are three special Divisions: the Mobile Division (mass maneuver and territorial support, based in Harare), the Specialist Units Division (specialist investigative skills, based in Bahir Dar), the Central Investigative Division (organized crime and subversive activities, based in Awasa) and the Training Division.

Higher Command

At its top, the Gendarmerie is headed by the Higher Command, consisting of the Commandant General (a Lieutenant General), of the Deputy Commandant and of the Chief of Staff. The Chief of Staff directs, coordinates and supervises all activities of the force, while the Deputy Commandant directly handles administrative matters. The Higher Command directly supervises, through the Deputy Commandant, Directors of Administration, Health, Training, Engineering, the motor pool and the Veterinary Commission. The Centre for Recruitment and Selection depend on the Deputy Chiefs of Staff. The whole Higher Command, reminiscent of the Carabinieri General Command, is based in Addis Abeba.

Mobile organization

The Mobile Emergency Gendarmerie is always deployed in robust units.

The Mobile Emergency Gendarmerie is the paramilitary branch of the Ethiopian Gendarmerie tasked with the maintenance of public order, quelling riots and providing mobile and cohesive support to the territorial organization or other branches of the Gendarmerie or of the local units of the Fascist Guard (the Ethiopian branch of the M.V.S.N.). The mobile organization consists of several Battalions deployed in the various Provinces and Autonomous Cities. Battalions depend on the relevant Regiment (responsible of providing administrative support and management), which are in turn grouped into the Mobile Emergency Police Force Command (Division level).
As of 2015 there are 24 Battalions grouped into 8 Regiments.

• 1st Regiment "Ogaden" - headquartered in Giggiga.
  • 1st Battalion - headquartered in Giggiga;
  • 2nd Battalion - headquartered in Gabredarre;
  • 3rd Battalion - headquartered in Gode.
• 2nd Regiment "East Oromia" - headquartered in Goba;
  • 4th Battalion - headquartered in Goba;
  • 5th Battalion - headquartered in Asba Littoria;
  • 6th Battalion - headquartered in Neghelli.
• 3rd Regiment "Addis Abeba" - headquartered in Addis Abeba;
  • 7th Battalion - headquartered in Addis Abeba;
  • 8th Battalion - headquartered in Addis Abeba;
  • 9th Battalion - headquartered in Adama.
• 4th Regiment "West Oromia" - headquartered in Lechemti;
  • 10th Battalion - headquartered in Lechemti;
  • 11th Battalion - headquartered in Gore;
  • 12th Battalion - headquartered in Gimbi.
• 5th Regiment "Amhara" - headquartered in Bahar Dar;
  • 13th Battalion - headquartererd in Bahar Dar;
  • 14th Battalion - headquartered in Gondar;
  • 15th Battalion - headquartered in Dessiè.
• 6th Regiment "North" - headquartered in Semera;
  • 16th Battalion - headquartered in Semera;
  • 17th Battalion - headquartered in Macallè;
  • 18th Battalion - headquartered in Adua.
• 7th Regiment "East" - headquartered in Dire Dawa;
  • 19th Battalion - headquartered in Dire Dawa;
  • 20th Battalion - headquartered in Harar;
  • 21st Battalion - headquartered in Harar.
• 8th Regiment "South" - headquartered in Auasa;
  • 22nd Battalion - headquartered in Auasa;
  • 23rd Battalion - headquartered in Irgalem;
  • 24th Battalion - headquartered in Gambela.

Training Division

Training Schools are established through the country, in order to provide an additional manpower reserve if strictly needed. The Ethiopian Police University College is a public institution of higher education in Ethiopia dedicated to training Gendarmes officers and to offering higher eductation in security-related subjects also to other personnel. Its main campus is located in Sendafa, a town 38 kilometres north of Addis Ababa, while other facilities are placed in Dire Dawa.

Territorial organization

The Territorial Organization contains 80 percent of the force and is organized hierarchically in the Provincial Commands. Each of the 8 ethnically-based Provinces and the 3 Autonomous Cities has, for the carrying out of the law enforcement activity, a Provincial Directorate for the Public Security and of a Provincial Gendarmerie Command.
Provincial Gendarmerie Commanders in each of the 11 Provinces (headed by a Major General each) work in conjunction with the Provincial Governors, but for the prevailing part Addis Abeba centrally directs administration. Under the 11 Provincial Commands there are 77 Zonal and 770 Woreda commands, headed by Colonels and Captains/Majors respectively. The civilian Directorates of Public Security (both central and provincial ones) deal with administrative-political aspects of the police activities in support of the Ethiopian Government and of the Provincial Governors, while Gendarmerie commanders are the technical-operative authorities.

Provincial Gendarmerie Command

The 11 Provincial Gendarmerie Commands are the highest territorial echelons and are in charge of providing general support to operational units and command, as well as of ensuring liasion with the civilian security officials; they operate on the hierarchical and functional dependencies of the Higher Command, also to carry out decentralized organizational and administrative functions and it is involved in local personnel and resources planning and administration. The Provincial Gendarmerie Command is responsible for coordinating and monitoring all units in the relevant Province, even outside the territorial chain of command. The Provincial Command performs the command functions for all Corps services and units which are not specifically separated from it: however, the Provincial Gendarmerie Command, unless specifically tasked to do so, does not carry out police activities or external investigations.
The Provincial Gendarmerie Commander, a Major General, carries out the functions of running the directives of the Commandant General, co-ordinating the activities of the Provincal Command with those of the central offices. The Provincial Gendarmerie Commander, if authorized by the Commandant General, can establish provisional units and groups in order to achieve specific results. The Provincial Gendarmerie Commander is supported a staff consisting of:

• Human Resources Office;
• Operations Office;
• Information Office;
• Training-Education Office;
• Logistics Office;
• Command Company;
• Administrative Service;
• Administrative and Social Police Liason Office;
• Military Chaplain;
• Provincial Depot.

Provincial Depot

The Provincial Depot is a permanently manned, protected storage and mantainance base, used to support regional forces and dedicated to logistical operations. The Depot is located in the same city of Provincial Command. It is also where soldiers and officers awaiting discharge or postings are based, and where injured Gendarmes return to full fitness after discharge from hospital before returning to full duty.

Zonal Commands

The 77 Zonal Commands are in charge of both security and police duties, in order to ensure a steady repressive activity when the phoenomenon is still contained in a relatively small area. Their responsibilities include mainly logistics support and other functions; they also provide the coordination of the Corps activities in the boundaries of the subordinate commands, in the allocation of their personnel, for extraordinary tasks, for special military, public security or public order requirements, if necessary in conjunction with the military authorities.
The primary mission of the Zonal Command is to ensure the maintenance of order and public security in the Zone. In each Zone, the local Commander exercises all activities of security and administrative police, acts that result in such ordinances, injunctions, permits, licenses, permits.
Zonal Commands include a variety of offices, some of which depend on two Divisions: the Criminal Investigations Division and Administrative and Social Police Division. It is to note that, while the Criminal Investigation Division is under an unitary command and direction, the Administrative Division is composed of unconnected offices. The Operations Office is the body of the Zonal Command responsible for receiving and relaying information and records throughout the area of responsibility. It interacts with the units at that time engaged on the ground, from the detective squads to stations. The Operations Rooms are located in each subordinate headquarter, to build the network to support the Operations Office.

Ranks and insignia

The Ethiopian Gendarmerie is led by a Lieutenant General; when the Italian Lieutenant General conducts his inspections and visits, he wears his Italian uniform. From a graphic point of view, the officer insignia pattern are loosely inspired to the Italian trend, with the Italian Towered Crown replaced by an Ethiopian Imperial Crown. All officer rank insignia feature the triangular insignia as basic component.
As a whole, the Ethiopian Gendarmerie is a State military corps, like the Royal Police Corps, and is part of the Italian military system, although its State is Ethiopia, and not the Kingdom of Italy strictu sensu.

Ethiopian Gendarmerie military officers ranks and insignia
Ethiopian Gendarmerie rank (Official transcription only)	Bemeto Betach	Meto Aleqa	Aleqa	Shaleqa	Leftenant-Kol	Kolonel	Brigedar Janaral	Mejor Janaral	Leftenant Janaral
English translation	Second Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Captain	Major	Lieutenant Colonel	Colonel	Brigadier General	Major General	Lieutenant General
Royal Police Corps rank (also Italian translation)	Sottotenente	Tenente	Capitano	Maggiore	Tenente Colonnello	Colonnello	Brigadier Generale	Maggior Generale	Tenente Generale
Corresponding Army rank (Italian)	Sottotenente	Tenente	Capitano	Maggiore	Tenente Colonnello	Colonnello	Generale di Brigata	Generale di Divisione	Generale di Corpo d'Armata
Corresponding Army rank (British)	Second Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Captain	Major	Lieutenant Colonel	Colonel	Brigadier	Major General	Lieutenant General
Shoulder board insignia

Ethiopian Gendarmerie Warrant Officers ranks and insignia
Ethiopian Gendarmerie rank (Official transcription only)	Mekonnu Tiezaz 1	Mekonnu Tiezaz 2	Mekonnu Tiezaz 3
Royal Police Corps rank	Maresciallo di P.S.	Maresciallo Capo di P.S.	Maresciallo Maggiore di P.S.
Italian translation	Sottufficiale	Sottufficiale Capo	Sottufficiale Maggiore
English translation	Warrant Officer	Chief Warrant Officer	Warrant Officer Major
Corresponding Army rank (Italian)	Maresciallo	Maresciallo Capo	Maresciallo Maggiore
Corresponding Army rank (British)	Warrant Officer Class Two	Warrant Officer Second Class	Warrant Officer First Class
Shoulder board insignia

Ethiopian Gendarmerie Enlisted ranks and insignia
Ethiopian Gendarmerie rank (Official transcription only)	Polis	Bemejemeriyaw Polis	Alemawi	Bemejemeriyaw Alemawi	Yehmsa Aleqa	Yehmsa Aleqa Uana
Royal Police Corps rank	Agente	Agente Scelto	Appuntato	Appuntato Capo	Vicebrigadiere	Brigadiere
English translation	Policeman	Policeman First Class	Corporal	First Corporal	Sergeant	Sergeant Major
Italian translation	Poliziotto	Poliziotto di Prima Classe	Caporale	Primo Caporale	Sergente	Sergente Maggiore
Corresponding Army rank (Italian)	Soldato	Caporale	Caporale maggiore	Caporale Capo	Sergente	Sergente Maggiore
Corresponding Army rank (British)	Private	Lance Corporal	Corporal	Sergeant	Staff Sergeant	Staff Sergeant (senior echelon)
Sleeve insignia	No insignia
Shoulder board insignia

Uniforms

Ethiopian Gendarmerie have an operational/everyday uniform, consisting of a blue/gray camouflage battledress and a blue beret, and a formal wear, cut along the Italian National Royal Army lines. The Ethiopian Gendarmerie is part of the State military forces of the Italian Empire; therefore, its members wear the Military Star on formal wear.

• 

  Operational/everyday uniform, all ranks.

• 

  Formal uniform, all ranks.

See also

• Law enforcement in the Italian Empire
• Ethiopian National Imperial Guard (Italian Empire)