State Counterinsurgency Strategy Mobilizes Defected Rebels Across Tigray, Oromia, and Amhara

A distinct counterinsurgency pattern has emerged across Ethiopia's Tigray, Oromia, and Amhara regions, where former rebel commanders and combatants who defected to the government are being reorganized into state-backed armed formations. Key examples include the Tigray Peace Force, the Gadaa Commando in Oromia, and the newly announced Amhara Peace Force led by former Fano commander Captain Masresha Sete. These formations leverage insider knowledge of insurgent command structures, supply routes, battlefield tactics, and recruitment networks to weaken the groups from which they defected. In Oromia, defected OLA commanders have primarily assisted military intelligence, while the Tigray Peace Force has provided federal forces with local ground partnerships and intelligence penetration. Furthermore, other regional armed structures like the Tekeze Guard and Raya Guard are anticipated to join the Amhara Peace Force's overall command structure.