ETHIOPIA: 2002 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA 003801 C O R R E C T E D C O P Y -- PAR NUMBERING AND CLASSIFICATIONS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2012 TAGS: PTER PREL PINS ET SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA: 2002 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT REF: A) STATE 201772 B) ADDIS ABABA 2978 C) ADDIS ABABA 3273 D) ADDIS ABABA 2973 E) IIR 6 830 0115 02 F) IIR 7 723 0396 02 CLASSIFIED BY: COUNSELOR FOR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS DAVID C BECKER FOR REASONS 1.5 (B),(C) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: ETHIOPIA IS A CONFIRMED AND COMMITTED PARTNER IN THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM (GWOT) AT ALL LEVELS. ALTHOUGH OFTEN LACKING IN CAPACITY, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA (GFDRE) HAS RESPONDED PRO-ACTIVELY TO THE GLOBAL THREAT. EMBASSY KNOWS OF NO FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION (FTO) ACTIVITY IN ETHIOPIA, AND NO SUCH TOLERANCE BY THE GOVERNMENT. THE GWOT FITS NEATLY INTO THE RULING COALITION'S POLITICAL AGENDA, WHICH EQUATES ARMED OPPOSITION WITH INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM. ETHIOPIA'S CURRENT GOVERNMENT WILL REMAIN WITH US AS A STEADFAST PARTNER AGAINST TERRORISM. END SUMMARY. -------------- ANNUAL RESPONSE -------------- ¶2. (U) THE FOLLOWING RESPONSES FOR 2002 ARE KEYED TO INSTRUCTIONS IN REFTEL A, PARA. 2: ¶A. (U) THE GFDRE STANDS FIRMLY AGAINST ALL FORMS OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM, AND HAS CONSISTENTLY OFFERED COOPERATION TO SUPPORT THE GWOT. ¶B. (U) THE JUDICIARY HAS NOT HAD TO RESPOND TO ANY ACTS OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM. ¶C. (U) ETHIOPIA HAS NOT EXTRADITED NOR REQUESTED EXTRADITION OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS FOR PROSECUTION. IF REQUESTED, THE GFDRE WOULD EXTRADITE SUSPECTED TERRORISTS TO THE U.S. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE NO EXTRADITION TREATY. ¶D. (U) THE GFDRE'S ABILITY TO RESPOND EFFECTIVELY TO TERRORISM IS HAMPERED BY INSUFFICIENT FUNDING AND INADEQUATE TRAINING OF ITS SECURITY FORCES AND JUDICIARY. CRIMINAL CASES OFTEN LANGUISH IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM AND SUSPECTS CAN SPEND YEARS AWAITING TRIAL. ¶E. (U) GFDRE RESPONSES TO TERRORISM: THE GFDRE HAS CONSISTENTLY CONDEMNED TERRORISM, INCLUDING THE 1998 NAIROBI AND DAR ES SALAAM BOMBINGS AND THE 9/11 ATTACKS. PRIME MINISTER MELES ZENAWI REGULARLY CONDEMNS ALL FORMS OF TERRORISM. THE GFDRE HAS TAKEN ACTIONS TO CONTROL ITS BORDER WITH SOMALIA TO PREVENT SMUGGLING AND TERRORIST MOVEMENT. THE GFDRE AND THE GOVERNMENT OF DJIBOUTI ARE DISCUSSING WAYS TO REDUCE TERRORISTS, ABILITY TO MOVE ACROSS THEIR BORDER EN ROUTE TO AND FROM YEMEN. ¶F. (U) SIGNIFICANT GFDRE COUNTERTERRORISM (CT) ACTIVITIES INCLUDE POLITICAL, FINANCIAL, MEDIA, MILITARY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTION. ETHIOPIA SIGNED THE OAU DRAFT CONVENTION ON TERRORISM PRIOR TO ATTENDING THE SEPTEMBER 11-14 AFRICAN UNION TERRORISM CONFERENCE IN ALGIERS (ALTHOUGH THEY FAVORED THE "FREEDOM FIGHTER" CLAUSE DESPITE EMBASSY,S REFTEL B REQUEST). IN A STATEMENT AFTER A SEPTEMBER BOMBING OF AN ADDIS ABABA HOTEL, THE GFDRE SAID ETHIOPIA HAD BEEN PLAGUED BY TERRORISM LONG BEFORE THE GWOT. IN OCTOBER, FOREIGN MINISTER SEYOUM MESFIN TOLD UNGA THAT ALL WHO DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE TERRORISM SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THE ETHIOPIAN CENTRAL BANK HAS BEEN PROMPT IN COMPLYING WITH OUR REQUESTS FOR NAME CHECKS AND ASSET FREEZES. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, NO FTOS HAVE ASSETS IN ETHIOPIA. TO COUNTER THE THREAT OF AL-ITTIHAD AL-ISLAMIYA (AIAI),THE GFDRE HAS UNDERTAKEN INCREASED MILITARY EFFORTS TO CONTROL ITS LONG BORDER WITH SOMALIA. MEDIA REPORTS INDICATE THAT FOUR PAKISTANIS WERE ARRESTED IN DIRE DAWA "ON SUSPICION OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST ACTIVITY." POLICE ARRESTED FOUR YEMENIS AND THREE PAKISTANIS ENTERING FROM SUDAN. WHILE IN TRANSIT TO ADDIS ABABA, THE SUSPECTS KILLED A GUARD AND ALL SEVEN MANAGED TO ESCAPE. ¶G. (U) THE GFDRE DOES NOT LEND SUPPORT TO INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM, AND OFFERS NO SUPPORT, PRIVILEGES OR TRAINING TO TERRORISTS. ¶H. (U) THE GFDRE HAS NOT MADE ANY PUBLIC STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF ANY TERRORIST-SUPPORTING COUNTRIES ON ISSUES RELATED TO TERRORISM. ¶I. (U) THERE HAS BEEN NO CHANGE IN THE GFDRE'S STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE COALITION AGAINST TERRORISM IN 2002. ¶J. (U) THE GFDRE HAS CONSISTENTLY OFFERED FULL COOPERATION IN THE GWOT, AND BURNISHES ITS ROLE AS A U.S. PARTNER. THE EMBASSY WORKS CLOSELY WITH MANY GFDRE COMPONENTS IN ALL FACETS OF CT. SEYOUM RECENTLY TOLD THE AMBASSADOR, "UNLESS OUR CAPACITY LIMITS US, WE WILL NOT FAIL YOU." ¶K. (U) THE EMBASSY HAS RECEIVED CONTINUING COOPERATION FROM THE GFDRE IN THE INVESTIGATION FOLLOWING THE 9/11 ATTACKS. ¶L. (U) THE GFDRE IS FULLY RESPONSIVE TO REQUESTS TO PROTECT U.S. CITIZENS AND FACILITIES. -------------- SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION -------------- ¶3. (C) CONFIRMING REF. C, WE KNOW OF NO FTOS ON ETHIOPIAN SOIL ACTIVE OR WORTH WATCHING. ¶4. (S) MELES MAY BE GOING TOO FAR: THE PM MAY HAVE SOME DIFFICULTY DISTINGUISHING THE GWOT FROM SECTARIAN RIVALRY. AS REPORTED IN REF. D, MELES TOLD CODEL IN AUGUST THAT ETHIOPIA IS IN THE GWOT FOR ITS OWN NATIONAL SECURITY. HIS PRIVATE COMMENTS INDICATE THAT HE MAY HAVE SOME DIFFICULTY DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN ISLAM, ISLAMISM, AND TERRORISM. HE EQUATES ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM WITH TERRORISM, SAYING WAHHABISM IS "INFILTRATING AND DOMINATING THE REGION." HE DESCRIBES ETHIOPIA AS BEING "AT THE EPICENTER" OF TERRORISM SINCE THE SEVENTH CENTURY (REF. E). FORTUNATELY, MELES HAS NOT MADE ANY PUBLIC STATEMENTS BETRAYING SUCH A "LUMP-THEM-ALL-TOGETHER" OUTLOOK. THE OPPOSITION IS ALSO WORRIED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL SPREAD OF EXTREMISM, AND, NOT PRIVY TO THE GOVERNMENT'S ACTIONS, FEARS THE GFDRE IS NOT DOING ENOUGH. ACCORDING TO A PROMINENT OPPOSITION POLITICIAN, OVERT SAUDI AND COVERT IRANIAN INFLUENCE ARE SPREADING EXTREMISM WHILE THE RULING COALITION IS TOLERATING AN INCREASE IN SECTARIANISM. ¶5. (S) A SOURCE WITH UNESTABLISHED RELIABILITY HAS REPORTED THAT THE ERITREAN "GREATER ALLIANCE," AN UMBRELLA GROUP CONSISTING OF TEN ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING THE ERITREAN ISLAMIC JIHAD, HAS MOVED ITS HEADQUARTERS TO ETHIOPIA. WE HAVE SEEN THE REF. F REPORT THAT THE JIHAD IS BELIEVED TO RECEIVE POLITICAL BACKING FROM THE GFDRE, BUT CANNOT CONFIRM SUCH. ¶6. (C) THE GFDRE CONSIDERS ITS DOMESTIC ARMED OPPOSITION AS TERRORISTS, DRAWING LITTLE JURIDICAL DISTINCTION BETWEEN SUCH DIPARATE GROUPS AS AL-QAEDA AND THE HOME-GROWN OROMO LIBERATION FRONT (OLF). MELES TOLD PARLIAMENT IN SEPTEMBER THAT THE FIGHT AGAINST THE OLF SHOULD NOT BE SEEN IN ISOLATION FROM THE GWOT. THE GFDRE WILL LIKELY CONTINUE SEEKING USG SUPPORT AGAINST THE OLF, INCLUDING ITS ADDITION TO EXECUTIVE ORDERS AS AN FTO. THE OLF IS WIDELY BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR A JUNE ATTACK ON A RAILWAY STATION IN DIRE DAWA AND A SEPTEMBER BOMBING OF AN ADDIS ABABA HOTEL. THE TEN HOTEL BOMBING SUSPECTS APPEARED IN COURT THIS WEEK AND PLED NOT GUILTY. THE OLF HAS DENIED THE GFDRE'S PUBLIC ALLEGATIONS. ¶7. (C) COMMENT: MELES FINDS THE GWOT POLITICALLY ADVANTAGEOUS FOR BOTH ETHIOPIA AND HIS RULING COALITION, AND EVEN CALLED IT A "GODSEND" BECAUSE OF ETHIOPIA'S UNFORTUNATE EXPERIENCE WITH INTERNAL VIOLENCE AND INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM (AS THEY DEFINE IT). SHORTLY AFTER 9/11, ETHIOPIAN MILITARY LEADERS SOUGHT U.S. ENGAGEMENT IN A PROPOSAL FOR A SERIES OF LARGE-SCALE STRIKES ON NEIGHBORING SOMALIA, A BREEDING GROUND AND SAFEHAVEN FOR TERRORISTS, AND A PERENNIAL THORN IN THE SIDE OF EVERY ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT. FOR THIS GOVERNMENT, THE GWOT IS A TWO-FER: THEY USE IT TO DRAW CLOSER TO THE U.S. AND/AND GAIN RESOURCES FOR THEIR OWN CT EFFORTS. END COMMENT. BRAZEAL