In July 2009, Ethiopia passed Anti-Terrorism Legislation to counter insurgencies and terror acts. The legislation is heavily criticized by opponents who argued the legislation is a cornerstone for government to initiate crackdowns and jailing opposition leaders and dissents. Proponents defended that the law combats terrorist acts in the country in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolution 1373 (2001). The Ethiopian government often used to justify political repressions by limiting freedom of expression wherein many journalists and critics jailed for many years. In addition, the EPRDF regime used to dismantle propaganda against certain political parties such as the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which was designated as terrorist group until 2018.
An act of terrorism is manifested through the armed rebellion of Al-Shabaab since War in Somalia. Al-Shebaab has been fighting the Ethiopian security forces since the late 2000s. Al-Shabaab made major incursion to the Ethiopia's Somali Region in July 2022 which killed 17 people including three civilians and Ethiopian police officers inside Somali territory and 63 of its fighters.