Addis Ababa, October 25, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) Chief of Staff Field Marshal Berhanu Jula has declared that the defense force will not be dismantled to pave the way for a transitional government imposed through armed struggle, vowing to continue defending Ethiopia’s sovereignty, unity and national interests against internal and external threats.
Addressing the commemoration of the 119th Defense Forces Day at the Armed Forces General Headquarters on Saturday, under the theme “Army of Victory,” Field Marshal Berhanu described the ENDF as a cornerstone of Ethiopian statehood, built through generations of sacrifice and sustained through successive governments.
He said Ethiopia’s long history as an ancient state was reflected in the endurance of its institutions, with the ENDF standing among the country’s oldest and most consequential national institutions.
Across 119 years and successive political systems, he said, the force had confronted external adversaries and forces seeking to undermine the country.
Field Marshal Berhanu stressed that protecting national sovereignty and unity under the authority of the state was the military’s defining responsibility. The ENDF, he argued, could not abandon that mission to serve a political faction or its allies without undermining the very foundations of the country.
He warned that groups advocating the dismantling of the military and the establishment of a transitional government were pursuing a course that threatened Ethiopia’s statehood. He rejected attempts to seize political power through armed struggle, saying those seeking leadership should organize politically and compete through peaceful means.
The Field Marshal also challenged claims that successive defeats suffered by the illegal TPLF group amounted to strategic withdrawals. Referring to four major rounds of fighting over the preceding eight years, he said the group had repeatedly suffered setbacks while using propaganda to obscure the outcomes.
Addressing the latest fighting, Field Marshal Berhanu said the TPLF group had launched an offensive along Amhara region’s North Wollo and Wag Hemra Zones as well as Afar region fronts after what he described as coordination involving actors extending from Egypt through Khartoum to Asmara. He said the ENDF had thwarted the offensive and seized a substantial quantity of weapons delivered through Massawa, which he characterized as a significant external military supply.
He portrayed the fighting as part of a broader effort to weaken Ethiopia by exploiting domestic political and ethnic divisions. He warned that narratives framed around the survival of individual communities could conceal threats to Ethiopia’s national existence, arguing that the country’s different peoples shared a common interest in preserving the state.
Field Marshal Berhanu also highlighted Ethiopia’s strategic interests in the Abay River and the Red Sea. Describing the Abay as a natural resource of Ethiopia, he said the government and the ENDF had no alternative to safeguarding the country’s interests in both waterways. He argued that these resources had significance for the wider region but criticized what he characterized as attempts by outside actors to monopolize their benefits.
The Chief of Staff said Ethiopia sought to live in brotherhood and good-neighborly relations with other countries and peoples, but maintained that peaceful coexistence could not require the country to surrender its national interests or tolerate threats to its sovereignty.
Turning to the people of Tigray Region, Field Marshal Berhanu said years of conflict had inflicted deep losses on families and communities, including the deaths of young people, the destruction of livelihoods and growing dependence on humanitarian assistance. He argued that the region needed peace, development, new political ideas and new leadership rather than another cycle of war.
He called on Ethiopians to stand alongside the people of Tigray Region, stressing that their suffering could not be separated from the country’s broader future. He said the ENDF would continue to defend fellow citizens while resisting attempts to draw the region back into prolonged armed confrontation.
Field Marshal Berhanu further said the military had defeated the Tsimdo unholy marriage of rebel groups backed by three external forces, presenting the outcome as evidence of the ENDF’s capacity to withstand coordinated threats. He described the force as a dependable security actor in the region and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting Ethiopia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Concluding his address, the Field Marshal reiterated that armed struggle was not a legitimate shortcut to political power and that attempts to destroy the ENDF would not succeed. He urged those seeking political leadership to pursue peaceful competition instead of relying on armed groups and external support.
His central message on the 119th Defense Forces Day was that the ENDF would remain committed to defending Ethiopia’s statehood, sovereignty and unity, while the country’s political future should be pursued through peaceful means rather than attempts to dismantle its national defense institution.