(S) OGADEN: GOVERNMENT DETAINS NGOS BASED ON US

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA 000381 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2018 TAGS: PINR PHUM PGOV CASC PTER ET SUBJECT: (S) OGADEN: GOVERNMENT DETAINS NGOS BASED ON US INTEL Classified By: Ambassador Donald Yamamoto for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (S/NF) Since January 26, the Ethiopian Government (GoE) has imposed travel restrictions on two teams of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Holland and Switzerland NGO workers in Warder and Kebri Dehar towns respectively in the Ogaden region. While the restrictions were imposed at the beginning of an Ethiopian military (ENDF) operation against Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) insurgents which caused the GoE to restrict all UN and NGO personnel movement to main towns in the region, the restrictions on movement were lifted around January 31 on all but MSF staff members. The Ethiopian intelligence service (NISS) has informed MFS-Holland that their staff -- including ONE American Citizen -- are under house arrest and being investigated in Warder for having contacted and provided medical support to the ONLF. The ENDF confiscated the keys to MSF-Switzerland's vehicles in Kebri Dehar and while their staff have been told that they may not leave the town, the ENDF has informed the UN that the MSF-Switzerland staff are "under arrest." In response to inquiries by the Ambassador, Prime Minister Meles reported that the teams were detained based on intelligence provided by the United States and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Tekeda said that an investigation is underway, but threatened that MSF would be PNGed from Ethiopia if it raises this matter with the press. Post is working with MSF and other Embassies to gain consular access to our detained citizens and continues to press Ethiopian authorities to release these teams. End Summary. HOUSE ARREST IN WARDER OR HOOFING IT IN KEBRI DEHAR -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) NISS officials confiscated the vehicle keys, computers, and satellite phones belonging to MSF-Holland on January 26 and placed the staff under house arrest in the MSF compound. According to MSF-Holland Head of Mission Will Robertson, a NISS official told the team that they were under investigation for having contacted and provided medical assistance to "anti peace" (i.e. ONLF) elements. The 16 staff members under house arrest include: ONE American, four Britons, ONE Canadian, ONE Dutchman, and nine Ethiopians. The American citizen is an ethnic Ogadeni born in Somalia. Apparently, he came strongly recommended by a GoE imposed "sultan" in the Somali region. MSF reports that, apart from being ONE of very few Somali doctors, they hired him in an effort to counter the GoE's recurring arguments that MSF is collaborating with the insurgents. (Post's Consular Section is reporting separately on this consular case.) MSF-Holland confirms that they communicate with the detainees in Warder regularly through a land-line telephone in their compound and that all remain in good condition. Specifically to counter any possible GoE allegations of contact with, or support for, "anti-peace" elements, MSF-Holland has long maintained a policy of having a heavy expatriate contingent among their staff and requiring all radio communication to be conducted in English to ensure that expat staff can understand what is being said. This is not the first time that MSF-Holland has had issues with the GoE. On July 24, 2007, they were instructed to cease work in the Ogaden region in response to postings on the MSF website of photographs of burned villages encountered in the region, as well as an article stating concern for human rights conditions in the area. They were only allowed to resume work in the area in November 2007. ¶3. (SBU) Also on January 26, an ENDF Colonel in Kebri Dehar confiscated the vehicle keys, computers, and satellite telephones of MSF-Switzerland's team. While they were not placed under house arrest, and are able to walk freely around town, the Colonel has reportedly informed the UN staff in Kebri Dehar that the MSF team is "under arrest." The MSF-Switzerland team includes: ONE Frenchman, ONE Indian, ONE Italian/Australian dual national, and three Ethiopian citizens. This restriction affects ONE of MSF-Switzerland's first teams to travel to Kebri Dehar, and a team composed of members who are almost exclusively new to the region. Their restriction comes despite the GoE's permission for ADDIS ABAB 00000381 002 OF 003 MSF-Switzerland to operate in the Ogaden, and the NGO's provision of the team members' names and dates and locations of travel. Like MSF-Holland, MSF-Switzerland intentionally requires the inclusion of at least two expat staff members before permitting any staff movements in the Ogaden region. The main office in Addis Ababa is able to communicate with the team via a telephone line at a stall close to where the team is staying, but the team has noted an increased level of concern when the GoE refused to permit their participation in a regularly planned GoE-Partners coordination meeting in town on January 31. ¶4. (SBU) Initially the restrictions on the two MSF teams raised little specific notice as they came at the same time as broader ENDF requirements that all UN agencies and NGOs either hand over their vehicles or keys on January 26. While development partners did not like the requirement, they speculated (correctly) that the ENDF was preparing to conduct a counter-insurgency operation in the region. On January 31, however, the ENDF lifted the restrictions on the UN and all other NGOs while maintaining the restrictions on the MSF teams. QUERYING THE GOE -------------- ¶5. (SBU) A combined team from MSF Holland, Switzerland, and Belgium has been soliciting clarification from the GoE and support from the international community over the past two weeks. On February 1, they sent collective letters to the Somali regional government, Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency (DPPA),the Foreign Ministry, the HEALTH Ministry, and the Defense Ministry. To date they have received minimal response or clarification on their teams' status. The French Ambassador reportedly raised the matter with the Foreign Minister on January 31 only to receive a response on February 1 stating, perhaps confusing MSF with the broader partner community, that the detention was unrelated to security operations and that the issue had been resolved. In recent days, MSF's scheduled appointments with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Tekeda Alemu have been sequentially canceled, Tekeda has advised MSF by phone that the teams are being investigated and suggested that MSF should submit a formal written letter of apology to the GoE for its teams' inappropriate behavior in consorting with anti-peace elements. While MSF is unlikely to produce such a letter, MSF representatives in Addis Ababa maintain that if or when the restrictions on their teams are lifted, their desire is that the teams continue working in the field rather than leave Ethiopia. ¶6. (S/NF) On February 6, Ambassador raised the detention of the MSF teams with the Prime Minister. Not only was the Prime Minister familiar with the specific cases, but to Post's surprise, Meles confirmed that the NISS and ENDF had taken these actions to detain and restrict movement of the teams as a result of intelligence shared by the United States Government with the GoE as part of our established intelligence sharing relationship. ¶7. (SBU) Ambassador raised the issue of the MSF detentions on February 11 with Dr. Tekeda. Tekeda said that he had already spoken with MSF officials on the issue. He argued that those in Kebri Dehar are not being "detained" or "under arrest," but are only "restricted." He argues that there are "procedures in place" based on security grounds, which had already been explained to MSF. Ambassador asked what impacts a public statement or other press report on the issue may have. Tekeda replied that, depending on what actions MSF takes, they could be PNGed from Ethiopia. WHAT WE ARE DOING -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Post remains in near daily communication with MSF, UNDSS, and other Embassies' representatives in Ethiopia on this issue. Near-hourly attempts to reach the detained American citizen by telephone have not gone through despite some other Embassies' successes in reaching their detained citizens. Initial responsiveness from MFA to MSF on February 8 prompted MSF to cancel a February 9 charter flight on which ADDIS ABAB 00000381 003 OF 003 a consular officer was to visit our detained citizen in Warder. That charter flight has now been rescheduled for February 16 and our consular officer will be on board. ¶9. (SBU) By continuing to raise this issue, in conjunction with similar efforts by other Embassies and MSF, Post intends to keep the pressure on the GoE to release these two teams. Ambassador has succeeded in securing a commitment from Dr. Tekeda to grant Post access to the American citizen detained in Warder. Post continues to press MSF to refrain from taking the matter to the press as such a step risks not only delaying the teams' release but potentially jeopardizing MSF's sustained presence and humanitarian assistance in country. YAMAMOTO