By Staff Writer
NAIROBI, Kenya — Sweeping amendments to regional constitutions and independent security audits of regional special forces are necessary to address structural issues in Ethiopia, according to landmark proposals reached by the Institutional Building thematic working group at the Ethiopian National Dialogue Conference.
The agreement targets structural issues surrounding civilian displacement, regional resource allocation, and the constitutional balance between federal defense authorities and regional paramilitary formations.
Delegates within the Institutional Building group outlined key structural recommendations slated for submission to the general assembly:
- Independent bodies—specifically the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC)—must audit and verify the complete disbandment of regional paramilitaries, despite official claims that these special forces have already been dissolved.
- Regional regular police forces must undergo standardized training under a single national competency framework, barring regional security apparatuses from building forces that rival the operational capacity of the Federal Police or the Defense Forces.
- Regional militia members must receive standardized instruction in military science under unified regulatory supervision.
- Legal reforms must remove exclusive resource exploitation clauses from regional constitutions, as specific provisions currently drive civilian displacement.
The amended frameworks would guarantee equal protection and economic rights for all ethnic groups residing within any given region.
Parallel to the Institutional Building consensus, the broader National Dialogue process entered a critical harmonization phase under Deputy Chief Commissioner Hirut Gebreselassie.
A designated team of 34 lead rapporteurs submitted unified, non-contradictory agenda documents to the eight 500-member working groups for review and input.
The 4,000 national delegates are expected to review and vote on the consolidated recommendations by the end of the week.
Addressing plenary delegates, Deputy Commissioner Hirut reiterated the necessity of merging divergent proposals into single, actionable consensus positions—particularly on sensitive topics such as historical claims and the administrative status of Addis Ababa.
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