2022 al-Shabaab invasion of Ethiopia

2022 al-Shabaab invasion of Ethiopia
Part of the Ethiopian–Somali conflict, the Somali Civil War (2009–present), Ethiopian civil conflict (2018–present) and the spillover of the Tigray War

Al-Shabaab fighters inside a Liyu Police base on the 21st July 2022
Date20 July – c. early August 2022
(2 weeks)[1]
Location
Ethiopian-Somali border and Ethiopia's Somali Region
Result

Al Shabaab infiltrates Bale Province of southern Ethiopia; see Result and Aftermath

Belligerents

 Ethiopia

Al-Qaeda

Commanders and leaders
Tesfaye Ayalew[4]
Mohamed Ahmed Gurey[4][3]
Ali Diyaar[3]
Ubeda Nur Isse[5]
Fuad Qalaf[5]
Osman Abu Abdi Rahman[6]
Units involved

Somali Region paramilitary forces[6]

  • Liyu police[6]
  • Special forces[7]
Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF)[4]
Civilian self-defense groups[3]
Several units,[8] including the "Ethiopian Front"[3]
Strength
Unclear
  • At least 1,500 (Critical Threats estimate)[9]
  • c. 2,000 (Le Monde estimate)[1]
Casualties and losses
14 killed (Ethiopian claim)[10]
187 ENDF[11] and several hundred Somali Region forces killed (al-Shabaab claim)[12]
Heavy (local officials)[13]
800+ killed, 100 captured (Ethiopian claim)[14][13]
3 civilians killed (Ethiopian claim)[10]
Several administrators captured by al-Shabaab[13]

On 20 July 2022, the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab launched an invasion[15] from Somalia into Ethiopia's Somali Region. Taking advantage of the ongoing Tigray War, the goal of the operation was to establish a presence for the group within southern Ethiopia.[2]

The incursion began with over a thousand Al-Shabaab fighters staging diversionary attacks on four Ethiopian-Somali border towns in order to allow a force of 500 to 800 fighters to penetrate the Ethiopian security zone and advance into the region.[9][16] During the initial days of fighting, Al-Shabaab primarily fought against the Somali Region's security forces.[17] Further cross-border attacks continued in the following days, while Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) carried out counter-offensives in response.[1]

Al-Shabaab forces advanced 150 kilometers into the Ogaden.[16] After two weeks of intense clashes and airstrikes, the ENDF and Somali Region security forces began to reassert control. A battalion of around 500 al-Shabaab fighters succeeded in evading the Ethiopian army and reached its main target, the Bale Mountains.[2] Several weeks after the operation was over, clashes continued to break out in border regions.[1]

Al-Shabaab was able to successfully establish a presence in Bale following the incursion and created several training camps.[2] It is the largest attack by al-Shabaab in Ethiopian territory to date.[8]

  1. ^ a b c d Hochet-Bodin, Noé (2022-09-14). "Al-Shabab seeks to 'put down roots' in Ethiopia". Le Monde. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  2. ^ a b c d Barnett 2023, p. 18.
  3. ^ a b c d e Harun Maruf (9 August 2022). "Al-Shabab Faces Pushback in Ethiopia's Somali Region". VOA. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "News: Ethiopian army generals jet-off to Baidoa, Jubaland, Somaliland; cross border security, Al-Shabaab threat top agenda". Addis Standard. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Ethiopian forces face new front from Al-Shabaab in Somalia". Garowe Online. 31 July 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Caleb Weiss; Ryan O'Farrell (28 July 2022). "Puzzles deepen in the context of Shabaab's attempted Ethiopian invasion". Long War Journal. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  7. ^ "News: Somali region says Al-Shabaab militants entered through Afdheer zone, "completely destroyed" by regional forces". Addis Standard. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  8. ^ a b Harun Maruf (26 July 2022). "Why Did Al-Shabab Attack Inside Ethiopia?". VOA. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  9. ^ a b Liam Karr; Emily Estelle (28 July 2022). "Africa File: Al Shabaab Attacks Ethiopia". Critical Threats. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Somalia's al Shabaab group makes rare attack near Ethiopia border". Reuters. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  11. ^ Faruk, Omar (2022-08-05). "In a first, Somalia-based al-Shabab is attacking in Ethiopia". Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  12. ^ Ismail, Muktar (2022-09-09). "Al-Shabaab: the latest addition to Ethiopia's woes". Ethiopia Insight. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  13. ^ a b c Mohamed Dhaysane (6 August 2022). "Ethiopia's Military: 800 Al-Shabab Fighters Killed in Recent Clashes". VOA. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  14. ^ Omar Faruk (5 August 2022). "In a first, Somalia-based al-Shabab is attacking in Ethiopia". AP News. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  15. ^ Caleb Weiss; Ryan O'Farrell (25 July 2022). "Analysis: Shabaab's multi-day incursion into Ethiopia". Long War Journal. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  16. ^ a b "How al-Qaeda and Islamic State are digging into Africa". The Economist. 11 August 2022. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2024-07-13. In July a force of 500-800 al-Shabab fighters penetrated a security zone maintained by Ethiopia, then crossed 150km into that country with the aim of setting up a base in the Bale mountains.
  17. ^ Ismail, Muktar (2022-09-09). "Al-Shabaab: the latest addition to Ethiopia's woes". Ethiopia Insight. Retrieved 2024-07-12.

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