Civil-Military Relations In Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethiopia's imperial regime was overthrown by a coalition of civilian and military forces. However, civil-military relations deteriorated when civilian groups demanded a democratically elected government, to which the military was unwilling to concede. The ruling military council's (PMAC) reluctance to share power with civilians, whom they distrust, and the failure of civilian groups to present a united front against the PMAC led to their demise. A military oligarchy headed by Mengistu has consolidated its power and outmaneuvered civilian opposition by militarizing the society and the bureaucracy, and by controlling urban and peasant associations. Civil-military relations in Ethiopia have thus evolved from a period during imperial rule when the armed forces were small and excluded from politics to one (in 1974) of active civil-military cooperation, to the current situation-in which the military wields unprecedented political power-with no prospects for a democratic government.