Addis Abeba — The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has issued a statement refuting recent allegations made by the Ethiopian government regarding its alleged ties to Al-Shabaab. The OLA characterized these claims as "baseless accusations."

In its response, the OLA described Al-Shabaab as a "backward-looking religious extremist whose leadership occasionally lays claim to Muslim-inhabited parts of Oromia," emphasizing that their objectives are not aligned. The statement asserted that "no Oromo political entity, or indeed any entity pursuing a legitimate objective, has any business in the ranks of terrorist groups."

This statement follows allegations made by the Ethiopian government after a meeting with a delegation led by Nuradin Mohamed Haji, the director general of Kenya's Intelligence Service.

The Ethiopian government claimed that the OLA, which it refers to as the "Shene terrorist group," had collaborated with Al-Shabaab in illegal activities along the border, including the alleged abduction of two South Korean nationals near Moyale. According to Ethiopian authorities, these individuals were "handed over to Al-Shabaab" by the OLA.

Addressing the reported abduction of two South Korean missionaries from Moyale, the OLA stated, "The results of an independent investigation should be awaited."

The group suggested an alternative possibility, claiming that "the Ethiopian government probably handed them over to Al-Shabaab to bolster the terrorist group against the federal government of Somalia."