The Ethiopian National Intelligence and Security Service has revealed that the Oromo Liberation Army, OLA-Shene was responsible for kidnapping two South Korean nationals near the Ethiopian border in Kenya last week and handing them over to the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.

The victims, David Lee and his mother-in-law, Hiwi Sokk Cheon, were reportedly abducted from the residence within the Odda Mission Church (OMC) Secondary School compound in Moyale, Marsabit County, around 9:00 PM on August 12.

The Ethiopian spy agency has accused the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) of having “direct ties” with al-Shabaab, the terrorist group operating in Somalia.

This information came to light during a meeting between Kenya’s Information Services Director General, Noordin Mohamed Haji, and Ambassador Redwan Hussein, Director General of Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service, in Addis Ababa yesterday, Wednesday.

The Ethiopian and Kenyan officials agreed to strengthen coordinated operations against regional terrorist groups, particularly the OLA, which has been implicated in a series of violent incidents along their shared border, according to the Ethiopian Press Agency. The discussions focused on the growing threat posed by the OLA, a militant group that has intensified its activities in the region.