ERITREAN YOUTH: "I'M FLEEING... AND HERE'S WHY"

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASMARA 000290 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/E AND DRL LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/25/2019 TAGS: SOCI PGOV ECON CPAS ER SUBJECT: ERITREAN YOUTH: "I'M FLEEING... AND HERE'S WHY" REF: ASMARA 279 Classified By: Ambassador Ronald K. McMullen for reason 1.4(d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: PolOff recently met with several young Eritreans who have all mentioned their plans to flee the country. The reasons range from avoiding national service to anger at the Eritrean government (GSE) for its dictatorial practices. This cable highlights the story of one particular Eritrean youth named Michael (name altered) who is fed up with the GSE. End Summary. FAMILY BUSINESS RUINED -------------- ¶2. (C) Michael, a young Eritrean in his mid-20s, told PolOff he plans to leave the country now that the GSE has run his father's business into the ground. He explained that his father once owned a fishing company that employed foreigners from Seychelles, South Africa, and Mauritius to catch exotic fish off the coast of Massawa. The business was lucrative enough to pay the foreigners' monthly salaries of several thousand dollars in hard currency. Two years ago, the GSE told his father that he must sell half his company to the government and that he must also hire local employees at the GSE national service rate ($33/month). The GSE also forcibly removed the foreign workers from the country, leaving no one to train the newly hired local employees. The GSE continued to micromanage the business until the owner eventually decided to sell his boats and cash out his share. The GSE did not allow him to take his cash in dollars, however; he could only take nakfa and only a small percentage over a long period of time. He was also forced to sell his boats to the GSE for half price. TWO OPTIONS TO FLEE -------------- ¶3. (C) The young Eritrean told PolOff he is preparing to flee the country either through legal means or illegally across the Sudan border. His father is above 65 and able to obtain an exit visa; his mother holds Italian citizenship and will not have a problem leaving the country. As for himself, his family is working with officials in the passport office to put together the documents necessary to leave the country (reftel). He stated that once the documents are put together, he will have to leave the next day to minimize the chance that someone will find the fraudulent documents in the system. If he has to leave illegally, he will use one of the Eritrean National Security Officers (ENSO),who he claimed to be the ringleaders in smuggling Eritreans to the Sudan border. The smuggler would take him from his home to a point near the border. From there, he would be transported to Sudan in an Eritrean military truck. He stated the cost at 80,000 nakfa. Paying in nakfa could only get one just across the border and further travel to Khartoum would require payment in dollars. (Note: Post is unsure if the dollar equivalent is the official $5,333 or the black market equivalent of roughly $2,000. End Note.) ¶4. (C) Michael stated he is among the last of his inner circle of friends left in the country. Another male friend of his in his mid-20s left several months ago for Uganda and is now working. Two others fled to Sudan. Each of those who fled utilized the aforementioned ENSO network. A CITIZEN TORN -------------- ¶5. (C) Michael made it very clear that he loves his country and he loves being Eritrean, but he "hates the man in charge." He stated he often got into verbal arguments with young members of the diaspora visiting the country who have a limited perception of what life is like in Eritrea. Michael even co-founded an anti-GSE facebook group, S.O.S.- Sick of Shabeia, where he hoped to spark political dialogue among young Eritreans. Instead, he received dozens of inflammatory messages from outraged diaspora members who accused him of being a traitor. Michael is well educated (fluent in ASMARA 00000290 002 OF 002 English, Tigrinya, Amharic, Italian, and French) and holds only Eritrean citizenship. Despite his talents, he does not see a future for himself in a country where the government takes what it wants at the expense of its own populace. MCMULLEN