On 27 August 2024, the security forces in the Somali state of Puntland announced a major security operation during which they arrested 7 individuals in possession of 5 drones intended for offensive and suicide purposes. Some security estimates indicated that these drones were coming from Yemen and heading to southern Somalia, where Al-Shabaab has recently been active. This comes in light of the recent escalation of security warnings regarding the potential use of this technology by Al-Shabaab with the aim of directing preemptive strikes against Somali army forces in areas under its control.

In light of the escalation of tensions and conflicts in some areas of the African continent, especially the African Sahel region, and the entry of the stages of conflict in some countries such as Mali to complex and intertwined levels, a serious problem may arise regarding the sudden resort of these terrorist organizations to employing their arsenal of drones to carry out qualitative attacks that enable them to achieve some breakthroughs and field victories that will enhance their incubators and their capabilities to spread. This may lead to encouraging the rest of terrorist organizations active in other regions of the continent to carry out such operations, and thus the widespread fears related to the terrorist use of drones in Africa for offensive purposes will be realized, which will consequently undermine any international or regional efforts aimed at countering the terrorist threat in the African continent.

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