The People's Militia () was a civil defense paramilitary force in the

Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia The Derg or Dergue (, ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when they formally " civilianized" the administration a ...

and the succeeding

People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE; ) was a socialist state that existed in Ethiopia and present-day Eritrea from 1987 to 1991. The PDRE was established in February 1987 as a Marxism-Leninism, Marxist-Leninist one-party state upo ...

. It was a largely rural organization, under the direction of Addis Ababa. It was frequently armed with more antique weapons, particularly those that were used during the

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression waged by Fascist Italy, Italy against Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is oft ...

History

Early years

It was established in 1975 by proclamation No. 71 of the

Derg The Derg or Dergue (, ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when they formally "Civil government, civilianized" the ...

to "safeguard the revolution", referring to the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

that brought it to power. It was intended to be a regional force to assist in auxiliary police duties, such as protect property and farms. It also enforced decisions implemented by peasant association tribunals. In May 1976, the government conscripted 30,000 to 40,000 civilians into the militia, predominantly from the

Shewa Shewa (; ; Somali: Shawa; , ), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa, is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The modern Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is located at it ...

Wollo Wollo (Amharic: ወሎ) was a historical province of northern Ethiopia. During the Middle Ages this province name was Bete Amhara and it was the centre of the Solomonic emperors. Bete Amhara had an illustrious place in Ethiopian political and ...

, and Gojam provinces.

Ogaden War

During the

Ogaden War The Ogaden War, also known as the Ethio-Somali War (, ), was a military conflict between Somali Democratic Republic, Somalia and derg, Ethiopia fought from July 1977 to March 1978 over control of the sovereignty of the Ogaden region. Somalia ...

, the government dispatched the militia to Eritrea with the mission of repelling the "invading Arab infidel." In the spring of 1977, Derg Chairman

Mengistu Haile Mariam Mengistu Haile Mariam (, pronunciation: ; born 21 May 1937) is an Ethiopian former politician, revolutionary, and military officer who served as the head of state of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991. He was General Secretary of the Workers' Party o ...

reconstituted the People's Militia as the "Red Army", authorizing its expansion and rearmament with modern weapons provided by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, such as

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...

rifles and

rocket-propelled grenade launchers A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), also known colloquially as a rocket launcher, is a shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon that launches rockets equipped with a shaped-charge explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, ...

. He also established a twelve-week basic training at camps in five cities, including Shashemene, Awash, and Fiche. It was then re-deployed to the Ogaden to serve with the regular army. Over the course of the war, the People's Militia suffered heavy losses against the

Somali National Army The Somali National Army () are the ground forces component of the Somali Armed Forces. Since Somali independence in 1960, the Army fought to expand and increase Somalia's sphere of influence throughout the Horn of Africa counter to Ethiopia' ...

Later years

From the early to mid-1980s, the People's Militia declined in importance, largely due the quality of life for

militiamen A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or serve ...

. In addition, the establishment of the National Military Service Proclamation in May 1983 required all Ethiopian men between the ages of 18 and 30 to undergo six months of military training followed by two years of active duty, after which they would be placed on reserve status until age 50, effectively removing the need to maintain a large-scale militia. Government training for militiamen continued even into the establishment of the PDRE, especially from villages in frontier areas. By 1991 the People's Militia numbered around 200,000, with militia units supporting the regular army's counterinsurgency operations, including one in late 1989 against the

Tigray People's Liberation Front The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF; ), also known as the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, is a left-wing Ethnic nationalism, ethnic nationalist, paramilitary group, and the former ruling party of Ethiopia. It was classified as a ter ...

and the

Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement The Amhara Democratic Party (ADP) (), formerly known as the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), was a political party in Ethiopia. The party was one of four members of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) that r ...

Organization

By 1980, the People's Militia numbered 150,000 troops and was organized into ten divisions. They included the following: * Northern People's Divisions (

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

) * Eastern People's Divisions (

Ogaden Ogaden (pronounced and often spelled ''Ogadēn''; , ) is one of the historical names used for the modern Somali Region. It is also natively referred to as Soomaali Galbeed (). The region forms the eastern portion of Ethiopia and borders Somalia ...

)

References