Country Report on Terrorism 2023 - Chapter 1 - Ethiopia

Overview:  The Government of Ethiopia (GOE) partnered minimally with the United States on counterterrorism issues in 2023 after the northern conflict produced a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in November 2022, and with disruptions caused by ongoing conflicts in Amhara and Oromia regions.  Al-Shabaab and ISIS terrorist threats emanating from Somalia remain a high priority for the GOE’s National Intelligence and Security Service.  Amhara Fano militias and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) were the greatest and most persistent domestic threats.

The GOE lifted the terrorist designation of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front on March 22.

2023 Terrorist Incidents:  The following incidents occurred:

• In August, al-Shabaab killed one police officer and injured two others in Afder Zone in Somali Region.  Federal security forces responded to the attack and killed the assailant.
• In September, al-Shabaab opened an offensive against the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) in Somalia’s South West State bordering the Afder Zone of Somali Region.
• In June the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the ENDF had thwarted an al-Shabaab plot on the Ethiopia-Somalia border in the Dolo Ado area of Somali Region.
• In October, media reported that the ENDF prevented additional planned al-Shabaab attacks in the Dolo Ado district of Somali region, with an ENDF general announcing the confiscation of six jerrycans of flammable chemical and 3,000 ammunition rounds from would-be suicide attackers.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security:  The Federal Police force reportedly coordinated counterterrorism (CT) activities with the ENDF, the Somali National Army, and local clan militia groups opposed to al-Shabaab.  Reportedly, the Federal Police has long been present in the Bakool region of southwestern Somalia to help combat potential terrorist threats from al-Shabaab.

The GOE’s CT capacity decreased in 2023, as it reassigned resources to counter Amhara Fano militia and OLA insurgencies, but it continued to deploy CT units along Ethiopia’s borders with Kenya and Somalia.  TSA completed an airport and air carrier assessment in July, which resulted in the remediation of all vulnerabilities identified in previous inspections.  In 2023, TSA prioritized providing capacity development training and aviation security mentorship to Ethiopia security stakeholders to sustain compliance and mitigate any potential security vulnerabilities.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism:  Ethiopia is a member of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group, and its Financial Intelligence Unit, the Ethiopian Financial Intelligence Service, is a member of the Egmont Group.  There were no significant changes in 2023.

Countering Violent Extremism:  The GOE continued to implement a strategy for countering violent extremism that concentrates on reducing poverty and ethnic strife to eliminate factors that drive recruitment by al-Shabaab. The GOE also said it remains engaged in local mediation and conflict mitigation strategies to defuse ethnic and religious tensions.

International and Regional Cooperation:  U.S. security engagement with the GOE has normally involved combating terrorist threats, particularly those posed by al-Shabaab and violent extremist organizations associated with ISIS.

Ethiopia is one of the five largest troop- and police-contributing countries in UN and AU peacekeeping, though its contributions are declining.  At the beginning of 2023, Ethiopia deployed about 3,500 troops for the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).  In March, Ethiopia agreed to send an additional 1,000 troops outside of its ATMIS contribution to Somalia.  Some 1,500 Ethiopian peacekeepers are deployed in support of the UN Mission in South Sudan.  Ethiopia also participates in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and its CT programs and trainings, including the IGAD Security Sector Program, which builds regional capacity to mitigate, detect, and deter terrorist activity.

While the United States provides no direct support to Ethiopian peacekeepers, U.S. enablers – to include intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) assets, where available, can provide support to the Ethiopian contingent within ATMIS in Somalia in extremis.  Ethiopia has allowed U.S. ISR or CASEVAC aircraft flights in support of ATMIS to transit through Ethiopian airspace, facilitating U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Somalia.