Overview: Ethiopia’s counterterrorism cooperation with the United States improved under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The continuing al-Shabaab threat emanating from Somalia dominated the Government of Ethiopia’s security posture and the Ethiopian National Defense Force’s (ENDF’s) 2018 counterterrorism efforts. Ethiopia removed three domestic groups from its list of designated terrorist organizations, allowing the government to focus additional counterterrorism resources on al-Shabaab. The Ethiopian government contributed to FBI cases related to al-Shabaab and other U.S.-designated FTOs by providing information, evidence, and access to witnesses. Ethiopia is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
2018 Terrorist Incidents: There were no reported terrorist incidents in Ethiopia in 2018.
Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: The Government of Ethiopia used its 2009 Anti-Terrorism Proclamation (ATP) to prosecute crimes associated with terrorist activity, and has a history of using the ATP to prosecute crimes associated with political opposition activity. There were no reports of new terrorism-related convictions in 2018. At the beginning of 2018, the Government of Ethiopia systematically reviewed and released more than 20,000 prisoners arrested for politically motivated reasons under the ATP. On July 5, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed removed three domestic groups from its list of designated terrorist organizations – the Oromo Liberation Front, Ogaden National Liberation Front, and Patriotic Ginbot-7 – and invited them to return to Ethiopia openly and join the political life of the country.
In June 2018, the Attorney General established a Legal and Justice Affairs Advisory Council (Advisory Council) composed of independent legal professionals and scholars and charged with reforming the legal and justice system. The Advisory Council is tasked with amending the ATP in line with the broader opening of political space in the country. The Attorney General’s office is also working on revising Ethiopia’s Criminal Procedure Code to avoid over reliance on the ATP to handle criminal prosecutions that are not terrorism-specific. The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa is working with the Government of Ethiopia to codify criminal investigative cooperation authorities between the U.S. government and Government of Ethiopia.
The ENDF, the Ethiopian Federal Police (EFP), Ethiopian intelligence, and regional special police worked to detect and prevent al-Shabaab attacks in Ethiopia. The EFP and intelligence services now report to the newly created Minister of Peace, which intends to help coordinate and streamline counterterrorism efforts, among a range of other duties. Additionally, the National Intelligence and Security Service is reorganizing and reforming to focus on collecting intelligence to detect and disrupt terrorism in support of the EFP and the Attorney General’s mission to increase law enforcement efforts and prosecutions related to terrorism.
Border security was a persistent concern for Ethiopia. The Government of Ethiopia continued to tighten border controls with Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan. Ethiopia employed PISCES to conduct traveler screening and watch listing at airports and other points of entry.
Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Ethiopia is a member of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG), a FATF-style regional body. In 2017, the FATF and the European Commission listed Ethiopia as one of 11 high-risk and non-cooperative jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies in its AML/CFT regimes. Ethiopia was one of eight countries named on both the FATF and European Commission lists. In 2018, Ethiopia continued to implement its National Risk Mitigation Action Plan and made progress to address technical compliance deficiencies in its AML/CFT regimes.
Countering Violent Extremism: The House of People’s Representatives approved a bill that dissolved the Ministry of Federal and Pastoralist Development Affairs and moved its mandates, including CVE, to the Ministry of Peace. The Ethiopian government values CVE and has focused on development that addresses root causes of poverty, which it assesses to be a driver of terrorism. The Ethiopian government engaged in local mediation and conflict mitigation strategies to defuse ethnic and religious tensions, especially in the Oromia and Somali regions. The government also monitored violent activities and remained concerned about the prospect of terrorist radicalization and recruitment, particularly among the large Muslim youth population, and because of the significant economic migration of Ethiopians to the Middle East. Some returning economic migrants have been radicalized.
International and Regional Cooperation: Ethiopia participated in AU-led counterterrorism efforts, including as part of the AMISOM forces in Somalia. Ethiopia also supported counterterrorism efforts in Somalia with the Somali National Army and other regional security initiatives. Ethiopia is chair of the Djibouti-based Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and participated in its counterterrorism programs and trainings, including the IGAD Security Sector Program, which builds regional capacity to mitigate, detect, and deter terrorist activity. Although not a member, Ethiopia participated in regional GCTF meetings.
