The National Intelligence and Security Service (Amharic: የብሔራዊ መረጃና ደህንነት አገልግሎት, NISS) is the principle intelligence and security agency of the Ethiopian government tasked to defend, protect and advance the national security and interests of Ethiopia. It collects, analyzes and disseminates intelligence for decision makers. It also is one of two national law enforcement agencies in Ethiopia next to the Federal Police Commission, due to its role, the NISS itself is a highly specialized national police force. It tackles drug trafficking, cybercrime, arms trafficking, human, and other domestic or international organized crime.
NISS organizes and leads the Joint Security and Intelligence Task Force established to maintain peace and security across the country. It also is the leading agency tasked with counterterrorism, counterintelligence in addition with collaborations with the different counterpart intelligence agencies and also with the Ethiopian Federal Police, Ethiopian National Defense Force, and other regional security bodies. It was re-established in 2013 GC and renamed the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) although it already has a long extensive prior history in different format and shapes over the course of over 80 years under the Imperial government during Emperor Haile Selassie I and onward through 3 different governmental constitutions and changes.https://allafrica.com/stories/202104240225.html
Organization The organization is the main police agency tasked with law enforcement regarding aviation, border security and checkpoints in airports and land designated areas. They are the main intelligence agency in the country including the federal police bar none. They mainly gather their broad network of information from their HUMINT or human intelligence infrastructure. Whilst the Information Network Security Agency or INSA gathers signals intelligence domestically and overseas. The NISS also gathers FININT or financial intelligence as required by law.
They can also purchase distribute and make and also license permits to weapons and explosives traveling in and abroad the country as per law. Formerly local police departments issued licenses to weapons, similar to the United Kingdom, until recently when the NISS was the primary organization tasked with issuing and revoking licenses. They are also tasked with counterterrorism inside and outside the country and protect the current constitution from being attacked. Under statutory law, have the ability to enforce both the Immigration and Nationalities acts in the place of the foreign ministry when deemed necessary. The Security, Immigration and Refugee Affairs Authority was replead to give NISS full authority of immigration, refugees and security regarding international commerce and foreign dealings. They have the ability to enforce court warrants granted by a court and detain individuals although they usually cooperate with local regional police forces and the Federal Police, at times of need they can issue arrests without any cooperation as they themselves are warranted by the state as police officers.
Structure The NISS has departments and agencies within.Internal Security, Technical Department & Economic Security Immigration & Nationalities and Refugees Office, as required by statutory law. Federal Training Center/University CTD or 'Joint Intelligence and Security Task Force' Central Investigations. As a spy agency it has a 'Foreign Research and Studies' overseas. All departments by default have head offices which report to ministries as required by law then which report to the Prime Minister's Office directly or indirectly. Head Office (Responsible for controlling all activities and reports to the Ministry of Peace) Central Investigations (Investigates any and all crimes within and outside the organization) Internal Security (Matters within Ethiopia and counterespionage inside the country and analysis) Foreign Research and Studies (Foreign Espionage outside of Ethiopia and missions like of) Technical Department (Assigns and solves any and all technical issues within the agency and such) Counter-Terrorism Division (Leads the Joint Taskforce with the EFP and MOJ to combat terrorism with other cooperative agencies) Federal Training Center (Leads the training center commissioning all federal officers of Ethiopia) Economic Security (Analysis on Ethiopian based companies within the workforce unbeknown) Immigration & Nationalities (Controls Immigration of goods and peoples, and citizenship process) Refugees Office (Controls and administrates locations for refugees in Ethiopia and administration)
Legal authority
Statutory powers The NISS's mandate is laid out in Proclamation No. 804/2013 Article 8 which grants the powers of investigating financial crimes against the state. Furthermore, in Article 24 its lays out the mechanism of the NISS needing a court order to seize and search the persons of groups they are investigating.
In addition, the Computer Crime Proclamation (Proclamation No. 958/2016) allows through a court issued warrant for the NISS to collect real time data on the persons or groups being investigated for potentially breaking the law. The Proclamation on Telecom Fraud Offence (Proclamation No. 761/2012) also allows local police with the NISS to jointly cooperate in a court warrant. The Proclamation on the Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism Crimes also allows the NISS with the MOJ to prosecute individuals contacting groups labeled as terror groups by a proclamation of parliament which is its primary mechanism which it uses to arrest individuals with suspected ties of these illicit organizations. As one of the two nationally mandated federal police forces which includes the Federal police, the NISS has all the powers vested upon peace officers. Members of the NISS can be considered police officers, although their function is highly specialized.
Under official operations, as federal officers of the state, they are immune from checkpoints of town, city, regional states in addition to federal premises and as such they can carry weapons issued to them by the organization. Curfew restrictions do not apply to them due to their status as federal police officers with an intelligence component.
Law operations
The National Intelligence and Security Service in 2019 showed legal authority and imposed a travel ban on 3,000 individuals from moving out into other countries. This was disclosed after MP's had visited the headquarters of the institution.
Cooperation Ethiopian NISS and Somalia Intelligence forces worked together to counter act Al-Shabaab and ISIS terrorist through various MOU's signed. The NISS has also various other agreements through Afripol including, Sudan, Kenya and other African nations regarding cross border crimes through varying degrees.
Cooperation with foreign law enforcement and spy agencies has extended to countries like the U.S., Russia, and Israel. In August 2019, the NISS and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly combat terrorism. In November 2020, the NISS and Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, had agreed to fight in counter-terrorism operations jointly. And on 9 June 2021, the Russian government and NISS had agreed to strengthen cooperation in joint counterterrorism. The South Korean National Intelligence Service also has a join combat program between the NISS. They also have cooperation arrangements with the Ugandan External Security Organization or (ESO) of dealing with illegal immigration and human trafficking and contrabands.
History
Haile Selassie I era
Ethiopia's intelligence agency and its traces back in 1935 where during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie I, fascist Italy led by dictator Benito Mussolini invaded the country. This forced the first formation of an older version of the NISS. It was then led by military Lieutenant Workneh Gebeyehu. The agency wasn't created to help Ethiopia in war efforts against Axis forces during the 1936-1941 war between the two nations. Neither Insisting the Ethiopian Imperial armed forces and their respective British allies in cooperation of the war effort by the Emperor, since the agency was immediately created after the liberation of Ethiopia after the invasion in 1941. After the war ended and years had passed, the Emperor's government led by Prime Minister Makonnen Endelkachew in 1955 was incorporated into the National Security oversight in a 'special cabinet' under provision of Solomon Kedir head of the special cabinet. In 1960 it was clear that the intelligence agency wasn't able to disseminate a coup led by General Mengistu Neway and Dejazemach Germame Neway. Nonetheless, the armed forces of Ethiopia were able to stop the attempted coup d'état. The intelligence agency was broken up in 4 other divisions of the Ethiopian intelligence community during the time of Haile Selassie I. The other divisions of the community of intelligence spied on each other also including civilians.
Derg era During the Derg regime, starting in 1974 after the successful toppling of Emperor Haile Selassie I in a coup d'état. A fundamental change of the agency was made. The agency was named 'Committee for peoples Security and Peace' this was provided in the Derg's proclamation 10/1966. During the early 80s the Derg establishes the agency(s) as 'Ministry of Security Protection for the Country and the People' for the purpose of intelligence gathering. And in the late 80s the Derg finally establish it as 'Ministry of Internal Affair' and given its nature it has no capabilities of law enforcement domestically in the nation. Due to economic and war turmoil between modern day Eritrea, and Somalia, the agency had to work not only on citizens or civilians but help in the front against hostile foreign agents in cooperation with the defence forces.
TPLF era