The Ethiopian government has just brought a bill before the federal parliament to make the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) into a ministry proper.
The prologue states that this measure is necessary because today the NISS has no legal basis to intervene in regional states whose autonomy is guaranteed in the constitution and have their own security services. Once this bill is passed, NISS would have nation-wide jurisdiction because “no other intelligence and security service shall be established at the federal and regional state level”. This bill also confers extremely strong powers to the NISS, enabling it to deal with intelligence issues inside and outside the country. It could also carry out surveillance operations “by entering into any place and by employing various mechanisms”. Furthermore, the security and intelligence equipment it imports will no longer be subject to tax; its accounts will no longer be submitted to the Federal Auditor General and its agents, employees, methods, finances and all of its activity will be considered “top secret”. In addition, it will not be possible to take its agents to trial for any crimes they might commit in the exercise of their duty for the NISS.
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