If one looks for troops in their usual encampments in Addis Ababa today, one does not find them. The old 4th division military camp is empty. So are other military garrisons in the city. THE EPRDF chose to house all its troops in private villas and other buildings, mostly previously owned by Derg/WPE high officials who are now in detention.

This may look very awkward, and some villas and buildings are seen to be heavily congested, with dirty linen and other paraphernalia hanging all over the place. But, according to observers, there are two distinct advantages in this for the EPRDF. As a relatively small force (some say “occupying force”) 20,000 at most, their deployment and stationing in a widely scattered area of the city gives them a better control of the city, while at the same time avoiding being an easy target if they were all concentrated in one or two spots.