Ethiopia Insight published on 23 June 2023 a commentary titled "Ethiopia's Abiy May Have Opened the Door to Al-Shabaab" by Muktar Ismail, an adviser to the Somali regional government.
Ethiopia successfully repelled an al-Shabaab attack in Somali Region last year, but the jihadi group has more recently taken advantage of disgruntled Ethiopians and, according to one account, infiltrated between 600 and 1,000 into Somali Region. Abiy has deployed more forces in Somali Region but their tactics are reportedly alienating local Somalis and contributing to al-Shabaab's ability to recruit more jihadists. Abiy's timing of the dissolution of the controversial Liyu police in Somali Region may also be counterproductive.
