There have been numerous reports of arrests of al-Shabaab insurgents, the dismantling of an al-Shabaab terrorist network and interception of arms in Ethiopia in 2024. Reports have also suggested that al-Shabaab is seeking to establish “an active combat presence” in the Bale mountains.
These reports have led to mounting fears that the terror group could seek to establish a presence in Ethiopia, as it has in Kenya.
The Somali jihadist group is active in Kenya. It targets civilians, security officers and telecommunication infrastructure. Its 2011 kidnapping of a Frenchwoman contributed to Kenya’s invasion of Somalia. The subsequent hostilities led to terrorist killings at a Nairobi mall in 2013 and a public university in 2015.
