Overview: The Government of Ethiopia's 2016 counterterrorism efforts focused on fighting al-Shabaab in Somalia and pursuing potential threats in Ethiopia. Ethiopia collaborated with the United States on regional security issues and participated in capacity-building trainings. The Ethiopian Federal Police (EFP) partnered in the investigation of an al-Shabaab 2014 suicide attack in Djibouti, agreed to join a Joint Task Force on a terrorism case, and continued law enforcement cooperation with the United States. The EFP also requested an expansion of an FBI-EFP Memorandum of Understanding on information sharing on transnational crime and ISIS. In May, the Ethiopian government denounced ISIS' branch in Libya in response to a video which showed the beheading of 16 Ethiopian migrants; it was the second time in two years Ethiopian migrants in Libya were killed by the group.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: The Government of Ethiopia uses the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation (ATP), implemented in 2009, to prosecute activities it considers terrorism. It also continued to use the ATP to suppress criticism by detaining and prosecuting journalists, opposition figures (including members of religious groups protesting government interference in religious affairs), and other activists, releasing some, but also making new arrests during the year. For example, the Federal High Court sentenced a blogger in May to more than five years in prison using the ATP. In addition, journalists feared reporting on five groups designated by parliament as terrorist organizations in 2011 (Patriotic Ginbot-7, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), al-Qa'ida, and al-Shabaab), citing ambiguity on whether that might be punishable under the law.

The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), which has broad authority for intelligence, border security, and criminal investigation, was responsible for overall counterterrorism management in coordination with the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and the EFP. The ENDF, EFP, and Ethiopian intelligence comprise the Ethiopian Task Force for Counterterrorism, a federal-level committee to coordinate counterterrorism efforts. The ENDF, EFP, Ethiopian intelligence, and regional special police worked together to block al-Shabaab attacks in Ethiopia. The NISS facilitated some coordination with the United States on counterterrorism cases in Ethiopia.

Border security was a persistent concern for the Government of Ethiopia, and the government worked to tighten border controls with Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan. Ethiopia conducts traveler screening with the U.S.-provided Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) at major ports of entry. The EFP sent officers to several sessions of the Department of State-funded Regional Rural Border Patrol Unit training by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Manyani, Kenya.

Ethiopia was the only last point of departure airport from East Africa to the United States in 2016. Given the increased terrorism threat to the international aviation security sector, Ethiopian aviation security officials demonstrated a highly cooperative attitude and keen interest in keeping Ethiopia's aviation sector secure from terrorist threats. Ethiopian aviation security continued to improve with the installation of two Department of State-funded, state-of-the-art passenger screening devices at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in February. Ethiopian security officials also expressed interest in additional training, which would be conducted in coordination with the U.S. government, to bolster counterterrorism security measures at Bole International Airport.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Ethiopia is a member of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG), a Financial Action Task Force-style regional body. In August 2015, ESAAMLG adopted Ethiopia's mutual evaluation report, outlining the anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime and deficiencies. Ethiopia's Financial Intelligence Center (FIC) issued a directive that guides the reporting requirements and compliance of designated non-financial businesses and professions with regard to AML/CFT in April 2016. Ethiopia conducted its third and final workshop on the National Risk Assessment for money laundering and terrorist finance in December 2016.

Through its AML/CFT legislation, the Government of Ethiopia criminalizes terrorist financing in accordance with international standards, even in the absence of a specific terrorist act; requires the collection of Know Your Customer data for wire transfers; monitors and regulates designated non-financial businesses and professions; and subjects non-profit organizations and religious organizations that collect, receive, grant, or transfer funds as part of their activity to appropriate oversight by the FIC. Ethiopia froze the account of one business entity (amount unknown) under suspicion of having engaged in money laundering and terrorist financing. The FIC routinely distributes the updated UN lists of individuals and entities under CT resolutions to financial institutions electronically.

While the country's AML/CFT legislation allows freezing and confiscation of terrorist assets without delay, it also authorizes the Council of Ministers to decide the conditions and time limits for the asset freeze, contradicting the principle that freezes pursuant to UN listings should be indefinite until delisting. Furthermore, weak institutional capacity and lack of technical expertise at the FIC, the Government of Ethiopia's poor recordkeeping, and lack of centralized law enforcement records, hindered the ability to identify and investigate AML/CFT activities.

For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, see the 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume II, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.

Countering Violent Extremism: Although the Government of Ethiopia does not have a Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) National Action Plan as recommended by the UN Secretary-General's Preventing Violent Extremism Plan of Action, it has participated in and provided data to inform the development of a regional CVE strategy by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The Ethiopian government adopted strategies and programs to counter violent extremism, the most noteworthy of which was the Growth and Transformation Plan II, a five-year plan that seeks to address the socio-economic factors that terrorists exploit for recruitment.

The Government of Ethiopia plans to support IGAD's new Center of Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism in Djibouti to discuss prevention and counter-messaging strategies.

Under the Charities and Societies Proclamation, the Government of Ethiopia continued to restrict funding to civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These funding restrictions limit NGO and civil society capacity to engage marginalized communities, conduct outreach through credible leaders, and implement CVE programming that targets at-risk youth.

International and Regional Cooperation: The Government of Ethiopia participated in African Union-led counterterrorism efforts as a troop-contributing country to the African Union Forces in Somalia. Ethiopia served as the chair of IGAD and participated in its counterterrorism programs and trainings, including the Security Sector Program, which builds the capacity of criminal justice officials in the region to implement rule of law-based approaches to preventing and responding to terrorism. The Government of Ethiopia also supported counterterrorism efforts in Somalia with the Somali National Army and other regional security initiatives. In multilateral efforts against terrorism, Ethiopia generally supported international directives that sought to stem terrorism, including IGAD's efforts to encourage the dissemination of information concerning cross-border terrorist activity.

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