Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ASMARA375
2007-04-13 08:47:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Asmara
Cable title:  

SOMALI OPPOSITION IN ERITREA; HANGING OUT AND

Tags:  PREL PINR UNSC KPKO MOPS ER ET SO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO3753
PP RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHAE #0375/01 1030847
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 130847Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASMARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8822
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 0102
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA 0083
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1338
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1515
RUEHYN/AMEMBASSY SANAA 1789
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0060
RUEPADJ/CJTF-HOA J2X CAMP LEMONIER DJ
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0628
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ASMARA 000375 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/12/2017
TAGS: PREL PINR UNSC KPKO MOPS ER ET SO
SUBJECT: SOMALI OPPOSITION IN ERITREA; HANGING OUT AND
SPEAKING UP

REF: ASMARA 316

ASMARA 00000375 001.2 OF 003


Classified By: AMB. Scott H. DeLisi for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ASMARA 000375

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/12/2017
TAGS: PREL PINR UNSC KPKO MOPS ER ET SO
SUBJECT: SOMALI OPPOSITION IN ERITREA; HANGING OUT AND
SPEAKING UP

REF: ASMARA 316

ASMARA 00000375 001.2 OF 003


Classified By: AMB. Scott H. DeLisi for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Asmara is full of Somali opposition these
days with Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed of the Council of
Islamic Courts (CIC) and Hussein Aideed, Hawiye/Haber Gedir
clan leader and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Deputy
Prime Minister, joining the exiled Somali Members of
Parliament (MPs) resident in Eritrea. In separate
conversations with Poloff, Aideed and the Somalia MPs
expressed common positions, calling for: Ethiopia's immediate
departure from Somalia; the need for a more inclusive
reconciliation conference occurring outside of Somalia; the
Somali people to be the solution to Somali problems; and in
voicing their frustration toward the United States. Shabait,
the official website of the Government of the State of
Eritrea (GSE),reported that President Isaias met with Sheikh
Sharif on April 9 and expressed similar positions. Eritrea
appears to be heading into a role of permanent host to some
of the Somali opposition. END SUMMARY.

-------------- ---
HUSSEIN AIDEED: FREELANCING A POLITICAL SOLUTION
-------------- ---


2. (C) On April 11, Poloff met with Hussein Aideed and exiled
MP/TFG Minister of Women's Affairs, Fowsiya Mohammed Sheikh
Hassan. Admitting he came to Eritrea without President
Yusuf's blessing and was operating independently from the
TFG, Aideed asserted he was seeking a "political solution and
not a military one" to the problems facing Somalia. Aideed
maintained he wanted to see TFG President Yusuf, Prime
Minister Gedi and the deposed Speaker, Sheikh Adan work
together in Somalia to achieve peace and stability. He
denied the rumors that he and the disenfranchised MPs were
trying to establish a government-in-exile, noting that the
only Somali government-in-exile would occur if President
Yusuf and PM Gedi go to Addis Ababa. Both he and Fowsiya

professed support for a reconciliation conference to be held
in a neutral location such as France, Sweden, Jordan or
Djibouti and attended by all Somali stakeholders including
the TFG, the CIC, the exiled MPs, civil society and the
diaspora. Notwithstanding several anti-USG comments, Aideed
requested U.S. humanitarian assistance to Somalia, including
food drops and medical support.


3. (C) Flip-flopping from previous statements, Aideed called
for Ethiopia's immediate withdrawal from Somalia. He did,
however, feel strongly that Ethiopia's exit must be done in a
manner that provides Ethiopia and President Meles with an
honorable out. He asserted that Ethiopia's presence in
Somalia was preventing the fighting of terrorism in the Horn
of Africa. He expressed concern that the instability in
Somalia was distracting from the fight against terrorists and
possibly creating an environment in which terrorism could
fester and grow.


4. (C) Aideed said he came to Eritrea at President Isaias'
invitation after meeting for three days with the GSE Minister
of Information Ali Abdu in Dubai. Noting Isaias' long
history with Somalia, Aideed said he came to encourage
President Isaias to contribute constructively to a peace
process in Somalia, in particular to support AU and UN
peacekeepers to work together with Ugandan President
Museveni. Aideed expressed his concern that Eritrea was
creating a proxy war in Somalia in order to focus Ethiopia's
attention on Somalia and keep Ethiopia from invading Eritrea.
While Aideed remained hopeful that he could convince Isaias
to support AU/UN peacekeepers in Somalia, the President had
yet to consent. Aideed asserted that President Museveni, as
a senior statesman in Africa, should lead an African
initiative, adding that Isaias had agreed on another

ASMARA 00000375 002.2 OF 003


delegation between Uganda and Eritrea.


5. (C) Aideed commented that the CIC has a role to play in
resolving Somalia's current problems. When asked about his
relationship with the CIC, Aideed denied meeting with Sheikh
Sharif in Eritrea yet inadvertently let slip they would both
attend a dinner on April 12. (Comment: Post dismisses his
denial of meeting with Sheikh Sharif, as both reportedly
stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel on the night of April 8.
An Egyptian diplomat in Asmara told Poloff that Aideed
admitted to him he and Sheikh Sharif had met in another Gulf
State. End Comment.)


6. (C) Aideed said he planned to travel to Dubai on Sunday,
April 15 and then, travel on to Kampala the middle of that
week to meet personally with President Museveni. According
to Aideed, Fowsiya and Speaker Adan plan to travel to Kampala
as well.

--------------
SOMALI MPS: ETHIOPIANS AND YUSUF MUST GO
--------------


7. (C) In a meeting with Poloff on April 10, exiled MPs
Sharif Salah Mohammad Ali, Mr. Ahmed Dirje and Mr. Omar Haji
adamantly declared that Ethiopia must leave Somalia
immediately. As a foreign invader, Ethiopia is a
destabilizing influence. Sharif commented that the departure
of Ethiopian troops will not worsen security. "Ethiopia did
not introduce security, therefore their departure will not
create a vacuum," he noted. According to Sharif, the
Ethiopians are scaring off other African nations; as long as
Ethiopia is present in Somalia the other African nations will
not send peacekeeping troops. He further described the
Ugandan troops as being misled by Ethiopia. He repeated his
position that only when Ethiopian troops depart Somalia will
the MPs return to their homeland. He also denied the MPs
were establishing a government-in-exile.


8. (C) The MPs voiced strong opposition to President Yusuf's
continued leadership. Stepping away from previous statements
by the MPs that President Yusuf had a role to play (reftel);
Sharif pointedly stated that President Yusuf "is no longer
the legal president of Somalia." Calling the proposed(and
now postponed) April 16 reconciliation conference in
Mogadishu a "joke," Sharif declared the meeting would not be
inclusive because many Somalis, including the MPs, do not
feel safe returning to Mogadishu. Sharif favored Cairo or
Djibouti as a better and safer location for a reconciliation
conference. He then accused President Yusuf and Prime
Minister Gedi of stealing money from the international
community, claiming the money they are receiving for the
proposed conference will not be spent for this purpose.


9. (C) As for Eritrea's role, Sharif said that the GSE was
providing them refuge only and paying for their accommodation
at the Ambassoira/Hamassien Hotel in Asmara. He claimed that
after the MPs were deported from Kenya in January, they had
nowhere else to go and the Eritreans had offered them
safehaven. He noted that most of the MPs had never been in
Eritrea. Regarding Eritrea's support to the CIC, Sharif
agreed that the Eritreans had provided support to the CIC,
but did not offer details as to the type and extent. Sharif
said the MPs had not met with CIC leader Sheikh Sharif Sheikh
Ahmed in Asmara but had spoken with Aideed. (Comment: Given
that Ibrahim Adou, the former Foreign Minister of the CIC
attended the Somali Diaspora meeting in the UK with the TGF
MPs, post believes that the MPs likely have met with Sheikh
Sharif Ahmed. End Comment.)


10. (C) Denying claims that the MPs are a predominantly
Hawiye-led opposition; Sharif said the group has clan and
geographical diversity with MPs from Somaliland and Puntland.

ASMARA 00000375 003.2 OF 003


He explained that less than half the MPs come from the
Hawiye clan.

-------------- --------------
GSE MEDIA REPORT ON SHEIKH SHARIF'S MEETING WITH ISAIAS
-------------- --------------


11. (U) GSE website www.shabait.com reported that Sheikh
Sharif met with President Isaias in Asmara on April 9.
Sheikh Sharif's comments in the article were limited: he
commended the GSE for their support of the Somali people,
avowed the unity of the Somali people and asserted the
Somalis must themselves build a united and sovereign Somalia.
The President's comments dominated the report. Isaias
identified the CIC "as part and parcel of the noble
opposition of the Somali people against aggression" and
repeated his oft-heard position against foreign intervention
in Somalia. He furthermore compared the peace and stability
of Somalia (under the CIC) with the "carnage of war and
turmoil" following the Ethiopian invasion and averred that
the current war in Somalia is the "outcome of the wrong U.S.
strategy."

--------------
ANTI-AMERICAN SENTIMENT EXPRESSED BY ALL
--------------


12. (C) In all of the conversations, anti-American sentiment
was strong. Although prefacing their remarks with claims of
friendship with the U.S., the Somali MPs, Aideed and Fowsiya
placed blame for the current situation squarely on America,s
doorstep. All claimed that the Somalis did not blame
Ethiopia, but rather the U.S. for supporting Ethiopia's
invasion. Sharif blamed the USG for encouraging Ethiopia to
attack Somalia in the name of the "war on terrorism" and the
USG efforts to track down "three or five thugs." They
pondered whether the U.S. was, in fact anti-Islam, and
proposed that a more constructive U.S. policy for Somalia
might repair the U.S.'s image in the Islamic world. Fowsiya
was the most forceful in her accusations, stating that the
U.S. is pushing the Somalis toward the terrorists and if the
destruction in Somalia continues, the Somali people will be
forced to seek revenge. She pressed for the U.S. to tell
Ethiopia to withdraw. She also relayed a rumor circulating
in Baidoa claiming that A/S Frazer had provided money to
President Yusuf to use to stir up the clan factionalism.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


13. (C) Hussein Aideed and Sheikh Sharif's simultaneous
presence does not appear to be a random coincidence but
rather one orchestrated by the GSE. How the GSE will proceed
with their coterie of Somali dissidents at this time remains
unclear; however, it does appear that the Somali MPs, at
least, have found a second home in Eritrea, with no
indication that they plan to leave anytime soon. End Comment.

MINIMIZE CONSIDERED
DeLisi