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RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI 2940
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S E C R E T ASMARA 000300
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2017
TAGS: PRELPINRPTERETER
SUBJECT: MORE DETAILS: KIDNAPPED EUROPEANS RELEASE IN
ERITREA
REF: A) ASMARA 282 B) 070649Z MAR 07 ASMARA IIR 6 908
0216
Classified By: AMBASSADOR SCOTT H. DELISI, FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D)
¶1. (S/NF) SUMMARY: On March 14, British Embassy officials
provided additional details about the kidnapping and release
of the five Europeans by the Afar Revolutionary Democratic
Union Front (ARDUF). The British officials also shared a
report issued by the Government of the State of Eritrea (GSE)
which outlined its efforts to secure the release of the
kidnapped Europeans. The report indicates that the GSE had
knowledge and access to the abductees as early as March 6,
although the Eritreans shared no information with the British
Embassy until notification of the release and travel of the
abductees to Asmara on March 13. Despite the GSE,s lack of
transparency in communication with the British and French
Embassies and despite the questions lingering around possible
linkages between the GSE and the ARDUF, there is no
indication at this time that Eritrea was involved in any way
with the kidnapping, and in fact, the GSE appears overall to
have played a proactive role in facilitating the release of
the abductees. End Summary.
------------------------------
THE ACCOUNT FROM THE ABDUCTEES
------------------------------
¶2. (C) On March 1, in an ARDUF raid on a tax office in
Hamidella, Ethiopia, the five Europeans and thirteen
Ethiopians were, seemingly, caught in the wrong place at the
wrong time. One of the Europeans reported that, during the
raid, an ARDUF rebel appeared surprised by the presence of
the foreigners in the area and signaled to them to go away.
The leader of the ARDUF attack overruled this decision,
however, and detained the thirteen Ethiopians and five
Europeans. The Europeans reported that the Ethiopians in
their tour group appeared to recognize the kidnappers,
through tribal or clan affiliation but not through any
complicity in the kidnapping. The Ethiopians were able to
translate what was happening for the Europeans from Afar and
Amharic into English. The ARDUF kidnappers provided the
abductees with their manifesto at the start of their
detention, leaving the Europeans no doubt as to the identity
and agenda of the group from the outset.
¶3. (C) After capture, the group was marched for the next four
to five days through flat terrain. During this time, ARDUF
permitted four of the Ethiopians to leave the group. One of
the Europeans reported that on Day 2 of their march, the
ARDUF leader announced they were now in Eritrea. On the
fifth day (probably March 5), they arrived at a location
which the British Embassy believes to be the ARDUF
headquarters near, or in, the locality of Wandidel. From
there, they were marched to a wadi (dried river bed) with an
oasis several hours away. The group stayed there until
Monday, March 12, spending the days in the oasis and nights
on top of a barren plateau to evade the mosquitoes in the
oasis. (Note: The kidnap victims also reported the oasis was
located near a cemetery. End note.)
¶4. (C) On March 12, the Europeans were informed they were
being released. Prior to their departure from Wandidel, they
attempted to give shoes and other supplies to the nine
Ethiopian hostages who remained behind, however, they were
prevented from doing so by their ARDUF kidnappers. The five
were then transported by car with members of the ARDUF to an
Eritrean military camp. The Europeans said that the ARDUF
members appeared to know, and be friendly with, Eritrean
military members stationed at the camp. At 1100, an Eritrean
helicopter arrived at the camp. The Europeans were loaded
into the helicopter and, at approximately 1530, departed the
camp for Asmara. Accompanying them in the helicopter were
the Sultan of the Eritrean Afar, three other Afar leaders,
and the leader of ARDUF. Upon arrival in Asmara, the Sultan
and the Afar leaders remained with the European hostages but
the ARDUF leader was swept away by Eritrean officials, a
group which reportedly included a representative from
President Isaias, office. The hostages were taken into the
care of the British Embassy until their departure for Addis,
via Djibouti on March 14. The group was scheduled to fly to
London from Addis Ababa on March 15.
---------------------
THE ERITREANS ACCOUNT
---------------------
¶5. (S/NF) The GSE presented to the British Embassy a written
account of its efforts to secure the release of the
Europeans. The account made it clear that the Eritreans had
been in communication with ARDUF since Tuesday, March 6 and
had full knowledge of both the abductees, location and
physical conditions. (Note: As reported reftel B, the GSE
had notified the British and French Ambassadors on March 6
that they had learned of the location of the abductees in
Ethiopia and would try to arrange for their release. End
Note.) The GSE provided no further information to the
British and French Embassies until contacting the British
Ambassador on March 13, to inform him of the abductees,
release and expected arrival in Asmara that evening.
¶6. (S/NF) The GSE report said that the GSE learned on
Tuesday, March 6 that the kidnapped group was located in
Wandidel (Wayima), 30 kilometers south of the Eritrean
border. The GSE then contacted three Afar Sultans of the
region: Sultan Abudulkader of Rahaita, Sultan Shahira of Bada
and Sulton Mohamed Abdella of Aiyum. Through these
intermediaries, the GSE requested a March 7 meeting with
ARDUF at Oasa Gala, 10 kilometers south of the Eritrean
border in Ethiopian territory. Initially, ARDUF refused.
However, on March 8, a group of Afar elders met and applied
pressure on ARDUF to negotiate with the GSE. On March 9, an
Eritrean doctor was granted permission to see the abductees.
(Note: The Europeans confirmed they saw the doctor on
Saturday, March 10. If the GSE claim as to the location of
the abductees at that time is accurate, then the Eritrean had
to cross the border into Ethiopia to see them. End note.)
The Europeans reported that they were aware that negotiations
were ongoing for their release, which they believe is a
likely reason for their earlier transfer to the oasis away
from the camp where the Eritreans, Afar and ARDUF were
reportedly meeting.
¶7. (S/NF) The GSE reports that during the negotiations, the
ARDUF presented three political demands. First, ARDUF wanted
political recognition for the organization. Secondly, they
sought restitution for the salt mines taken over by the
Ethiopian government. Thirdly, they wanted the Government of
Ethiopia to reimburse the Afar for salt harvested in the past
few years. The GSE reports that it dismissed ARDUF,s demands
and continued to press for the Europeans, release and
further claims that ARDUF eventually &bowed to the pressure
of the Afar elders8 and agreed to hand over the abductees.
On March 12, the European were returned to Wandidel and
traveled by car to Aiyumin in Eritrea ) a 45 kilometer ride
that took 2 hours of travel. They arrived in Aiyumin at
¶1900. The next day they traveled to Asmara by helicopter.
-------
COMMENT
-------
¶8. (S/NF) The GSE played a facilitating role in the release
of the European abductees and for that the British, French,
and Italian Ambassadors are all grateful. However, all of us
are puzzled, to say the least, by the fact that the GSE
appeared to know first-hand of the abducted group,s location
and of their physical status for at least seven days prior to
their release and yet offered no additional information to
any of the concerned Embassies in Asmara. Two possible
explanations offered by our British colleagues for the GSE,s
reticence to coordinate more closely include the Eritreans,
fear of losing face should their efforts prove unsuccessful
and possible GSE concerns that the British government might
use the information to attempt a rescue of the abductees
using force. A third explanation is that the Eritreans were
just being themselves, i.e., difficult to deal with and
insensitive or oblivious to how their actions would be
perceived. As noted reftels, Post has no basis for believing
that the GSE either ordered or orchestrated the kidnapping --
nor, despite its likely ties to ARDUF, do we have any reason
to believe that the GSE could have taken any further actions
to resolve the situation more expeditiously than it did. The
GSE has, however, managed to turn a potentially positive
bridge-building opportunity with the Western nations into one
where we will continue to harbor questions and doubts about
the Eritrean role, even if they truly acted constructively on
behalf of the abductees. END COMMENT
EDITOR’S NOTE: The military phase of Woyanne’s campaign to topple Isaias Afwerki has started. Woyanne is being assisted by some Eritrean intelligence officers who want to remove Isaias and normalize relations with the Eritrean regime in Ethiopia that is led by Meles and Bereket.
(Reuters) — “We’ve carried out further attacks on targets inside Eritrea. This time it’s in the north section around Badme,” a senior Ethiopian government Woyanne regime official told Reuters on Saturday.
“We were once again successful. This strike was part of our plan to take proportional measures that included the attacks in Eritrea’s southeast.”
Ethiopia Woyanne announced on Thursday its troops raided three military bases in Eritrea which it said were used by Ethiopian rebels, several weeks after accusing the Eritrean government of planning to kidnap Western tourists.
The official did not give details about who the troops targeted, but said Ethiopia’s government Woyanne would make a more detailed announcement later in the day.
War is upon us again. War defines the Ethiopian Government. Since it came to power it has been at war with its citizens. No region or ethnic group has been spared from this infection. The regime is always at war with opposition politicians, journalists, publishers, intellectuals, and business people to mention a few. The regime has fought in Gambella, Hawasa, Ambo, Arba Minch and other localities against its own people. The Ethiopian Government is at war with our Somali-Ethiopians in the Ogaden and has been accused of war crimes.
The Government has been at war with Somali Warlords since 2006 or so. They had a full-scale war with Eritrea. Over eighty thousand were sacrificed in this war no one can explain why. Today the Ethiopian Government is beating the war drums to start a war with Eritrea. They are admitting with pride their incursion into a Sovereign territory and carrying out an act of war. They are calling attention to their illegal acts – at least by International standards all nations adhere to.
The TPLF regime sent out Miscommunication Deputy Head Shimeles Kemal to announce in broad daylight that his Government has crossed an International border and murdered in cold blood. It is the height of stupidity or clueless Shimeles has left himself open to being an accomplice to a criminal act. Shimeles has always been an interesting character among the TPLF Cadres. He is one of my favorite Ethiopians in league with his boss Bereket. Ato Shimeles is a certified paranoid and he was the sacrificial lamb sent out by Meles to prosecute Kinijit leaders. You remember what a fiasco that was. Shimles’s witnesses were turning against him to the extent the defendants felt sorry for this clueless character.
That why it is interesting to note it was Shimeles that was sent out to huff and puff regarding TPLF’s misadventure. I am surprised he did not compare their act to other nations doing the same. The illegal regime always tries to find a comparable act others have carried out to justify its feeble attempt at legitimacy.
When there is no outside threat, the Woyane regime cannibalizes itself. They have carried multiple ‘Tehadso’ campaigns that it is highly possible no one will be left around to claim the ultimate prize of being Emperor of Ethiopia. War is the only vocabulary spoken among the comrades in the Politburo. It satisfies two constituents. Those that still lament the ‘loss’ of Eritrea and would jump on any band wagon as long as they are promised a province and the new EFFORT led single ethnic ruling class that dreads Shabia and would like the Meles regime to do the job before it ceases to exist.
The whole idea of crossing an International border and killing is not a normal or acceptable behavior. Normal Nations just do not do that. Some big powers do certain illegal acts to flex their muscle but Ethiopia is a Nation on life support and many of her citizens go to bed hungry and wake up hungry. Too bad there is only bones to flex. It will be interesting to listen to the Ethiopian UN Ambassador explain how neighbors can invade each other at will and the world finds out about it on BBC. This must be the principle of jungle diplomacy. How strange it resembles jungle Democracy as practiced in Ethiopia.
The US is in the current economic mess because of the terrible mistake of waging two wars far away from home base. Even for a Super Power the cost was too much to bear. War is not cheap. The US produces all its weapons and transportation needs. War is big profit for certain sector of the economy. But it was still a waste. When you take Ethiopia the idea of war is mind-boggling. All weapon is purchased with cash. From the boots of the Solder, to his uniform, arms, transportation cost including fuel is paid cash. The only thing Ethiopian is the peasant in uniform ready to be sacrificed. War is hell on Ethiopians and their economy.
By all UN index of Human Achievement our country always ranks in the bottom three in the world. That is because we spend our human resources warring each other. We sacrifice precious human life and also waste our hard earned money on foreign manufactured goods designed to kill. Normal countries are not run like that. Then again normal countries do not cross international borders and fire their weapons.
There will be many theories why the Meles regime will do such a criminal act. Ranging from conjuring up the Eritrean threat to the theory of forceful defense will be explored. A few Ethiopians will use the occasion to open old wounds and wave the flag. The bottom line is an illegal regime that rules using force is on the verge of wasting both human and economic resources for no valid reason. The fact that no one paid attention to this bizarre behavior is heart warming. Such act makes the Donor countries look bad. Meles was shopping for attention and he was deservingly ignored. Even the victim of this aggression was caught by surprise.
In an ideal world no country will sell weapons to this rogue regime. The people of Ethiopia and Eritrea have seen too many wars. The generation that cultivated and nurtured hatred and animosity is on its way out. This is its last gasp to save itself from its internal enemies. The Ethiopian government is using the Eritrean threat to justify its war on all Ethiopian people. The two poorest economies on planet earth are wasting their precious resource to kill each other. There is no one closer to an Ethiopian than an Eritrea. Eritreans have no one closer to heart than Ethiopians. Instead of building a great East African trade and technology Zone we are listening to those that peddle hate and violence. It is a new day. It is a new generation void of hate and violence.
We should ask those countries that donate arms to rogue Nations to be aware that those same weapons are used on peaceful people demanding their god given fundamental rights. We should demand Western countries not send military trainers other than police since our experience with this robot solders has not been pleasant. We remember the use of US donated vehicles against our people in the aftermath of the 2005 elections. It is too much to ask of us to be silent when our tax money is used to prop up a system that kills to survive. We should make our feelings known to our representatives in congress.
The ‘winds of war’ from Arat Kilo was the culmination of a very trying week for being an Ethiopian. We are being tested for sure. It started with the video of our Ethiopian woman being humiliated in broad day light in Beirut, Lebanon. It is a very agonizing scene. It was a video of a woman being forced into a car while resisting. First she was lying face down in a sidewalk bush while some guy is trying to pull her back. The next cut shows this guy shoving her into the back seat headfirst and her futile resistance. In the background you see people walking but no one seems to care. It ends with the car driving away. A day later the name and picture of the alleged criminal was posted all over. They were able to trace it from the license plate of the vehicle. It traumatized me to no end. Life is not fair.
There days later it was reported that she has died. She committed suicide. She hanged her self. She looked so small and alone. She was even crying in Ethiopian while being forced to be taken where she doesn’t want to go. It is called kidnapping. My little sister did not even have the energy to shout and scream. She was too tired and defeated. Later on I read this took place in front of the Ethiopian Consulate. What a fitting location is all I can say. Do you think this crime against Ethiopian woman is an isolated event? Not really it is so normal it does not even deserve a mention unless it is so dramatic and is caught on video. This is what a Saudi official explained his preference for Ethiopian maids.
Noor Adeen Masfa, Vice Consul for Economic Affairs in Jeddah, said his department and committees from the Ethiopian Ministry of Labor met several times to facilitate the travel of housemaids to the Kingdom after they are properly trained in Ethiopia.
“We decided to finish procedures of 1,500 housemaids due to the increasing demand for Ethiopian housemaids by Saudi families. Ethiopian housemaids are trained well on Saudi customs and traditions, besides the percentage of runaways is low,” he said.
Percentage of runaways is the key word here. We are docile people trained to heel. A proud rich people are reduced to exporting its young ones to raise Saudi children and care for Saudi old. Nothing wrong with that you might say. I disagree. It is a waste of human resource not to be able to house, feed and educate your children so they can create a better Ethiopia. Money spent on education is a better investment than money spent on having the best security force and army to protect a few. Alem Dechasa is one of the thousands of Ethiopians girls under slavery in the Middle East and the Gulf. They are all young, energetic and willing to do anything to survive and help their family at home. It is the remittances they sent that sustains millions of their relatives. It is this remittance income that gives Meles the boasting rights to the so-called double-digit growth.
Like Alem most of them are from a small village with a little or no education and the perfect candidate for abuse and humiliation by their uneducated, cruel Arab degenerates whose brain function has been compromised by too much petro dollar. The Ethiopian Government encourages exporting humans since the income is what sustains their corrupt system in place.
I am sure we are all shocked and angry by this sad news. Of course we blame it on the Arabs. It is true some Lebanese individual is responsible for the inhuman act against our daughter/sister. On the other hand it is the Ethiopian Government that is sending out these young innocent children to countries where they know no respect for human life and dignity.
We cannot change the Arab governments. As we are witnessing, the Arab people are slowly dealing with their problem in a very satisfactory manner. We Ethiopians are the only ones that can put a stop to such outrage against our people. It is our government that is actively involved in encouraging, pushing our young children into harms way. Alem is not the first nor will she be the last. Every year hundreds of our people kill themselves all over the Middle East. We choose to do nothing about it. We scream and shout the first few weeks and life goes back to normal until the next tragedy. Meles and company will probably sue and settle for some monetary compensation and the case is closed.
We suffer from famine, disease or ignorance because there is no democracy or the rule of law in our country. No Democratic and free country suffers from the above ills. All governments that deny basic human right to their people rule over a population that could never achieve its potential. That kind of society is riddled by conflict, civil war and chaos around every corner. That is why Ethiopia is at war with its neighbors, sends it’s youngest and brightest away and is consumed by talk of war and conflict. It is due to the absence of Democracy and respect for basic Human Right. Our working together to get rid of tyranny is how we want to remember the youth and hope of our little sister that went far from home so she can make her peoples life better. We salute her determination and her commitment to those that are faced with the same fate as hers. She did not want to die quietly and meekly. She wanted her death to mean something to all her sisters. Her parents should be told how their brave dignified girl carried her self in a foreign land that should fill their heart with pride. Her scream made others pay attention to the inhuman treatment they all suffer in this unequal relationship. Goodbye little girl, may you at last rest in peace.
WASHINGTON DC — Ethiopian women from various ages and background met for a conference in Washington DC from March 9 to March 11, 2012. The conference participants came from various States of America as well as from Canada and Europe. The theme of the conference was “Empowering Ethiopian Women and Advancing Their Rights.” The three-day conference discussed issues that are pertinent to inter-generational Ethiopian women at home and in the Diaspora. The first session was open to the general public and started its program with a one-minute silent prayer for the late Congressman Donald Payne. Two prominent speakers, Dr. Tsehay BerhaneSelassie and Ms. Anuradha Mital, presented their papers via Skype from Ireland and California respectively.
The Taitu Cultural Center performed two short plays about two courageous Ethiopian women, Empress Taitu Bitul and Shewareged Gedle. During this session, the International Ethiopian Women Conference honored Judge Birtukan Midekssa, former prisoner of conscience. Ato Shambel Belayneh and Woizero Maritu Legesse also performed for the audience.
On March 10th and 11th the conference was open only to women. During this session several issues that have direct impact on women were discussed including,
1. the current socio-economic status of Ethiopian women;
2. employment opportunities to women with particular emphasis on the complexities of migration of Ethiopian women to Middle East Arab countries; and
3. violence against women as well as health issues afflicting women.
On March 10, 2012, Dr. Melaku Tegegn from Kampala presented a paper via video that provided an analysis of the socio-economic impact of poverty from the Ethiopian women perspective. Other authors who sent their respective papers for presentations were Ms Sosesna Demissie, Ms Sihin Teferra from Ethiopia, and Dr. Hirut Haile, from Malaysia.
Shewaye Molla, the former Ethiopian domestic worker at Kaddafi’s family house and who suffered horrible abuse by her employer, gave interview via satellite. A letter sent by Ato Dawit, who works for an international organization, who also firsthand visited and witnessed the conditions of Ethiopian women in Middle East Arab countries was read. The letter described the vivid atrocities being committed on Ethiopian women and the lack of support from international organizations. In the context of the letter read, the importance of civil societies and the media in promoting women’s causes were discussed.
On March 11th, the focus of the conference was on issues that Ethiopian women in the Diaspora are facing. Live testimonies by Ethiopian immigrants to the USA were part of the presentation.
Furthermore, presenters reviewed past experiences of Ethiopian women’s organizations and the challenges they had faced.
In the last session, the participants discussed the way forward. Participants agreed to create a new strong women’s organization that will address the issues discussed at the conference.
The conference was well attended by diverse groups of Ethiopian women.
A number of young Ethiopian women who attended signed up to join the organization that will be formed soon. The organizers are delighted to report that the first International Ethiopian Women Conference in the Diaspora completed its mission with resounding Success. For example, the following e-mail was sent by one of the young Ethiopian women participant.
…The exposure I had to such educated, experienced women in life’s trials and black women but more so African women had an enormous impact on my life in the past 2 days. To be in the midst of such powerful individuals has given me more confidence in understanding my purpose in life. You all have encouraged me beyond words can express. To know and witness the realness of such individuals has given me confidence for hope to make a difference first in the lives of my peers, second the lives of my country, and third the world because I am now more powerful with the information you’ve carved in me in the past 2 days…
This news is so shocking it is hard to believe. If it is true, it must be stopped at any cost. This is a wholesale enslavement of Ethiopian women, particularly those from the Amhara and Oromo ethnic groups.
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA (Saudi Gazette) – Ethiopia is facilitating procedures to send 45,000 maids to the Kingdom every month, an informed source at the Ethiopian Embassy in Saudi Arabia has said.
Ethiopian housemaids have been high in demand after the Kingdom stopped recruiting housemaids from four countries, including Kenya, because the Kingdom has been unable to reach a satisfactory agreement with these countries, Asharq Al-Awsat reported Wednesday.
Noor Adeen Masfa, Vice Consul for Economic Affairs in Jeddah, said his department and committees from the Ethiopian Ministry of Labor met several times to facilitate the travel of housemaids to the Kingdom after they are properly trained in Ethiopia.
“We decided to finish procedures of 1,500 housemaids due to the increasing demand for Ethiopian housemaids by Saudi families. Ethiopian housemaids are trained well on Saudi customs and traditions, besides the percentage of runaways is low,” he said.
Unavailability of sufficient flights from Addis Ababa has also caused the delay in the travel of a large number of housemaids.
Some Saudi families have complained that their Ethiopian housemaids left their households after coming to the Kingdom to work illegally because they get lucrative offers from private companies and brokers. Masfa said this matter was studied and discussed. Deterring penalties will be put on housemaids who do that, he said.
“Some Saudi families employ housemaids illegally and pay them SR2,000 a month. That’s why many housemaids run away,” he added.
Masfa said the Ministry of Labor in Ethiopia is considering to put conditions in the contracts to allow housemaids use a cell phone and talk to their families and the consulate in the Kingdom.
“Saudi recruitment offices have welcomed this idea,” he said.
Concerned Ethiopians in the Washington DC Metro Area gathered in front of the Embassy of Lebanon Thursday to mourn Alem Dechasa, the Ethiopian girl who died after she was attacked and abducted outside the Ethiopian embassy in Beirut early this week. We also expressed our outrage over the killing of Alem and presented our demand to the Government of Lebanon to bring the individuals who committed the crime to justice.
During the silent protest, First Secretary of the Lebanese embassy, Mr Toni Frangie, came out to speak to us.
Ato Tekle Sahlemariam, who spoke on our behalf, expressed his gratitude to Mr Frangie for his willingness to hear our concern and communicated to him that Ethiopians are seeking justice for the crime against Alem.
Mr Frangie expressed his sadness about the death of Alem and assured us that full investigation is underway. From his demeanor, one can tell that he appeared to be genuinely moved by our grief.
All of us left the embassy feeling better because of Mr Frangie’s assurance that Alem will get justice.
The ultimate justice is of course to eliminate the Woyanne junta that is the primary cause of Alem’s tragic death and the suffering of millions of other Ethiopians. The Woyanne ambassador was watching and doing nothing when Alem was dragged to her death. Probably because he is one of those individuals who are profiting from the human trafficking of Ethiopian women and she is one of his victims.
During the silent protest, First Secretary of the Lebanese embassy, Mr Toni Frangie, came out to speak to us.