By Ebi Kesiena
Extremist group al-Shabab has taken advantage of Ethiopia’s internal turmoil to cross the border from neighbouring Somalia in unprecedented attacks in recent weeks, according to a senior US military commander.
The deadly incursions into Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country and long considered an anchor of security in the Horn of Africa, are the latest sign of the scale of the recent war in the northern Tigray region and another ethnic fighting that has made the country more vulnerable.
Ethiopia has long resisted cross-border attacks by al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab, including by deploying troops to Somalia, where the extremist group controls large rural areas in the southern and central regions of the country. But Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and its security forces have been struggling with domestic unrest, particularly since the Tigray conflict began in late 2020.
Experts say al-Shabab, also emboldened by instability under Somalia’s previous administration, is seizing the opportunity to expand its footprint and claim responsibility for killing dozens of Ethiopian security forces. But the group is also feeling the pressure of a renewed push by Somalia’s new government and the return of US forces to the country after their withdrawal by former President Donald Trump.
