Skip to main content

Ethiopia introduces its first Field Marshal rank amid changes to insignia

 


ADDIS ABABA, JANUARY 08, 2022 - Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) announced new changes to its military ranks and insignia amid a rank promotion ceremony held today where the army chief General Birhanu Jula was awarded Ethiopia's first Field Marshal rank in light of his extraordinary acts in the face of a national crisis.

LEFT: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, President Sahle-Work Zewde and Field Marshal Birhanu Jula

The rank promotion was granted to those who led battles and brought results. In addition to the Field Marshal, Lt. General Bacha Debele, Lt. General Abebaw Tadesse, Lt. General Hassen Ibrahim and Lt. General Getachew Gudina were promoted to General, 14 to Lieutenant General, 24 to Major General and 58 were promoted to Brigadier Generals. 

"You were awarded the ranks because of the courage you showed on the battle field. Sacrifices made for Ethiopia and for the people requires recognition which is beyond words. This promotion is a recognition to you and a lesson for the rest", said Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in a statement released on his social media page.

The promotion proposal was made by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed while the award was given by President Sahle-Work Zewde.

These promotions, moreover, were made at a time the ENDF made changes to its military ranks and insignia.

LEFT: Brigadier General, Major General, Lt. General and General

It was said the changes were made in order to ensure that the ranks and the insignia reflect the true character of the ENDF and its national identity.

Accordingly, the Lion and the traditional Shield were used as the official insignia of the ENDF.

The traditional shield was in use during Emperor Haileselassie I and the succeeding DERG regime. However, the DERG replaced the Throne insignia, which was used during the Emperor's time, with the Lion. According to the ENDF statement, the Shield and the Lion are two historical emblems of the army.

Indigenous line officer rank
When the EPRDF came to power in 1991, it completely changed the ranks and insignia used during the DERG. The current army has a stance that military ranks and insignia should not change as governments change.

The statement from the ENDF read that the it chose to back to the DERG era insignia because at that time the army was formed based on national identity. Therefore, it found the need to continue the national and historical identity of the army irrespective of changes in government.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ethiopia's Mufti Haji Omar Idris featured in the World's Most Influential 500 Muslims 2022 list

ADDIS ABABA, NOVEMBER 07, 2021 — Ethiopia's Mufti Haji Omar Idris enters the prestigious list of World's Most Influential 500 Muslims 2022 for a consecutive year. Mufti Haji Omar is selected as the most influential in the scholarly category. The 500 Most Influential Muslims (also known as The Muslim 500) is an annual publication first published in 2009, which ranks the most influential Muslims in the world.    The publication is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, Jordan. The report is issued in cooperation with Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in the United States.   Mufti Haji Omar was born in Wollo, Amhara region, Ethiopia, where he completed his Quranic studies. He is the leader of Ethiopian Muslims as the President of Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council and head of the Fatwa and Da'wa Councils.    Widely respected among both Christians and Muslims in Ethiopia, he is a pr
Post a Comment
Read more

TPLF destroys thousands of health facilities in Ethiopia within 5 months and WHO is quiet

  ADDIS ABABA, DECEMBER 13, 2021 - Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has destroyed more than three thousand health facilities during its occupation of parts of Afar and Amhara regions in the past five months. In Afar, it destroyed 60 health centers while 40 hospitals, 453 health stations, 1,850 health posts, 4 blood banks and 1 oxygen factory were destroyed in Amhara region. Dessie Specialized Hospital was established 80 years ago to serve 10 million citizens from Amhara, Tigray and Afar regions. It was the only specialized hospital in east Amhara. Unfortunately, it was looted and destroyed by the TPLF terrorists. "They have stolen expensive equipment worth millions such as the ventilators used in ICU. We had seven of them. They have stolen all of them. The warehouses were looted. They have taken our anesthesia machines and we cannot conduct surgery anymore.", said Dr. Haymanot Ayele, Director of the Dessie Specialized Hospital. "We receive 450,000 patients in
Post a Comment
Read more