What’s behind violence opposing changes to Ethiopia’s army?

Protests have been held for days in Amhara against government plans to merge the region’s forces into the national army and police.

Ethiopia has yet to recover from the war in its Tigray region that ended last year.

Thousands of people were killed in a conflict marked by widespread human rights abuses.

Forces from Amhara fought against Tigrayan rebels alongside the national army.

But since that two-year war ended, leaders in Amhara have accused the government of ignoring violence against ethnic Amharas in the neighbouring Oromia region.

They also believe that if Amhara’s forces are absorbed into the national army, their communities will be left open to more attacks.

Why is the opposition so intense?

And does it risk instability?

Presenter: Tom McRae

Guests:

Kemal Hashi Mohamoud – Member of the Ethiopian parliament.

Etana Dinka – Assistant professor of African history at James Madison University, specialising in the political history of Ethiopia and Africa.

Dessalegn Chanie – Senior member of the National Movement of Amhara, the main opposition party in the Ethiopian parliament.