Ministry of Defense (Ethiopia)

The Ministry of Defense (Amharic: የመከላከያ ሚኒስቴር, romanizedyemekelakeya mīnīsitēri) is a cabinet-level office in charge of defense-related matters of Ethiopia. It oversees the Ethiopian National Defense Force and Ethiopian Defense Industry. The current minister is Aisha Mohammed since 2024.[1]

Ministry of Defense
የመከላከያ ሚኒስቴር Ministeera Raayyaa Ittisa Biyyaa (Itoophiyaa)
Agency overview
Formed23 August 1995 (1995-08-23)
JurisdictionGovernment of Ethiopia
HeadquartersAddis Ababa
Agency executives
Child agency

History edit

This institution can trace its origins back to the Ministry of War, which Emperor Menelik II established in 1907, and made Fitawrari Habte Giyorgis Minister over it.[2] Emperor Haile Selassie re-established the Ministry of War in 1942, making Ras Abebe Aregai its Minister.[3] The Ministry is headed by a civilian minister which is a requirement of Article 87 of the current constitution of Ethiopia. It was established 23 August 1995 with the passing of Proclamation 4/1995, which also established the other 14 Ministries.[4]

On 9 January 2022, a new building of the Ministry of Defense was inaugurated. The five floor building of more than 700 offices and facilities serves now as the headquarters of the ministry, and is located on 13 hectares of land in Addis Ababa.[5][6]

Structure[7] edit

Military Industry edit

  • Defense Construction Materials Production Factory
  • Defense Construction Design Enterprise
  • Defense Construction Enterprise

National Defense Engineering College edit

Defense Engineering College was established in 1997 by the Ethiopian Ministry of Defense (MoD) to produce highly professional educational services.[8]

Agencies edit

  • Brana Printing Press

List of ministers edit

Minister of War/Defence of the Ethiopian Empire edit

No.PortraitName
(birth–death)
Term of officePolitical partyRef.
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Habte Giyorgis1907192619 yearsIndependent
2Mulugeta Yeggazu1926193610 yearsIndependent
3Birru Walda Gabriel193619426 yearsIndependent[3]
4 Abiye Abebe194319474 yearsIndependent
5 Abebe Aregai194719492 yearsIndependent
Abiye Abebe194919556 yearsIndependent
Abebe Aregai195517 December 19605 yearsIndependent
Lieutenant General

Merid Mengesha

17 December 196019666 yearsIndependent[9][10][11][12]
Lieutenant General

Kebede Gebre

196628 February 19748 yearsIndependent[13][14]
Abiye Abebe28 February 197422 July 19744 monthsIndependent[10]

Minister of Defense of Socialist Ethiopia edit

No.PortraitName
(birth–death)
Term of officePolitical partyRef.
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Major General

Aman Andom

22 July 197417 November 19744 yearsWorkers' Party of Ethiopia[15]
2Ambassador

Ayelew Mandefro

6 December 197419 September 1977[16]
3Brigadier General Taye Tilahun19 September 1977January 1980
4 Lieutenant General

Tesfaye Gebre Kidan

January 198014 May 19887 yearsWorkers' Party of Ethiopia[17][18][19]
5 Major General

Haile Giorgis Habte Mariam

14 May 198816 May 19891 yearWorkers' Party of Ethiopia[17][20]

Minister of Defense of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (1991-present) edit

No.PortraitName
(birth–death)
Term of officePolitical partyRef.
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
Siye Abraha199119954 years
Tamrat Layne1995?[21]
Abadula Gemeda
(born 1958)
16 October 200120053–4 yearsOromo Democratic Party
Kuma Demeksa
(born 1958)
200530 October 20082–3 yearsOromo Democratic Party
Siraj Fegessa
(born 1971)
30 October 200816 October 201810 years, 170 daysSEPDM
Aisha Mohammed Mussa
(born 1970)
16 October 201818 April 2019184 daysARDUF
Lemma Megersa
(born 1970)
18 April 201918 August 20201 year, 122 daysOromo Democratic Party
Kenea Yadeta18 August 20206 October 20211 year, 49 daysIndependent
Abraham Belay6 October 2021Incumbent2 years, 227 daysProsperity Party
Aisha Mohammed20 May 2024Incumbent13 daysARDUF

See also edit

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ "Ethiopian parliament approves PM Abiy's new cabinet". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  2. ^ Zewde, Bahru (2001). A History of Modern Ethiopia (2nd ed.). London: James Currey. p. 115.
  3. ^ a b Perham 1969, p. 85.
  4. ^ Text of the proclamation[permanent dead link] (accessed 13 July 2010)
  5. ^ Tadesse, Helen (9 January 2022). "Defense Ministry Inaugurates New State of Art Building". Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Defense Ministry Inaugurates New Headquarters – Ethiopian Monitor". 9 January 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Government | FDRE Office of the Prime Ministers". www.pmo.gov.et. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  8. ^ "DevelopmentAid". DevelopmentAid. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  9. ^ "SPECIAL REPORT THE SUCCESSION PROBLEM IN ETHIOPIA | CIA FOIA (foia.cia.gov)". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  10. ^ a b Ginbot 7 2010, p. 6.
  11. ^ Operations, United States Congress House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Foreign Agricultural (1965). Agriculture in Africa: A Report, Eighty-ninth Congress, First Session. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  12. ^ Ofcansky, Thomas P.; Shinn, David H. (29 March 2004). Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6566-2.
  13. ^ "Ethiopia's Lt. General Kebede's Memorandum to Emperor Haile Selassie on the Resolution of "the Issue of Eritrea"". February 2020.
  14. ^ Shifaw, Dawit (24 July 2012). The Diary of Terror: Ethiopia 1974 to 1991. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4669-4525-8.
  15. ^ Ginbot 7 2010, p. 7.
  16. ^ Mandefro, Mehret (28 July 2020). "Farewell To My Beloved Father Ambassador Ayalew Mandefro". Medium. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  17. ^ a b Ginbot 7 2010, p. 9.
  18. ^ Tessema, Marshet Tadesse (26 September 2018). Prosecution of Politicide in Ethiopia: The Red Terror Trials. Springer. ISBN 9789462652552.
  19. ^ https://marxists.architexturez.net/history/erol/ethiopia/building-ethiopia.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ^ "Ethiopian Leader Names New Armed Forces Chiefs". Associated Press.
  21. ^ "Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia Tamrat Layne Admassu will present lecture on "Transformation of Life in Jesus" March 13". Whitworth University. 3 March 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.

Bibliography edit