Kenya & Ethiopia band up to combat OLA-Shabaab cooperation: a cross-border terror threat

According to claims made by Kenyan and Ethiopian security services, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), also known as “Shene” by Ethiopian officials, has developed direct relations with Somalian al-Shabaab fighters. These organizations are charged with working together to “undermine security in the region.”
The director general of Kenya’s Intelligence Service, Nuradin Mohamed Haji, led a Kenyan team that presented these accusations while in Addis Ababa. Ambassador Redwan Hussien, the director general of Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), formally received the group.
The two nations had previously inked a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on “intelligence exchange and other security issues” because they shared “security concerns” around their border, according to a statement from the NISS.
The NISS said that “illegal activities” such as “contraband trade, illegal arms trafficking, and illegal mining” have been carried out by the OLA, which it refers to as the “Shene terrorist group” in the border region. It stated that two South Korean nationals were “abducted” by the group and turned over to al-Shabaab.
“The NISS statement stated that the group is working together to create insecurity in the area, and it is known that the group has direct connections with al-Shabaab, which operates in Somalia.”
Ethiopia and Kenya “have decided to enhance their cooperation” by “joint intelligence exchange and coordinated operations” in response to these threats, the NISS reports.
According to the NISS, attempts to “prevent and counter future cyber-attacks” were the main emphasis of the conversation regarding cybersecurity cooperation.
The talks covered topics other than border security, such as attempts to resolve regional disputes. In order to bring about long-lasting peace and stability in both Sudan and South Sudan, the agencies decided to work together to find peaceful solutions to the disputes and instability there.