EAC ON AUGUST 20TH INCIDENT (ASSAULT OF U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASMARA 000293 SIPDIS DEPT FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/TIA/ITA, DS/IP/SPC/SO, DS/ICI/CI, DS/TIA/PII, AF/E, AND DRL LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2019 TAGS: ASEC PHUM PGOV PINS PREL ER SUBJECT: EAC ON AUGUST 20TH INCIDENT (ASSAULT OF U.S. DIPLOMAT) REF: A. SPOT REPORT SENT ON 08/20/09 TO DS/CC ¶B. ASMARA 245 ¶C. 08 ASMARA 412 Classified By: Ambassador Ronald K. McMullen for reason 1.4(d). ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: EAC met on 08/21/09 to discuss the August 20th incident in which plainclothes agents from the Eritrean National Security Organization (ENSO) assaulted a U.S. diplomat outside a regularly scheduled embassy outreach event. Members in attendance were: AMB, A/DCM-RSO, MO, PAO, POL, and CON. EAC members agreed that Post should officially protest the incident to the Eritrean government (GSE) and that embassy personnel would maintain a low profile. End Summary. GSE ADAMANT IN HARASSING GUESTS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Embassy Asmara holds monthly speaker events as part of its Public Diplomacy outreach. Last month and this month, the GSE deployed plainclothes ENSO agents to record the biographic information of all guests attending Post's monthly lectures (Reftel B). NOTE: The speaker events take place at a rented auditorium adjacent to Post's American Center. END NOTE. The agents were posted outside the auditorium 35 minutes before the program's start time and adamantly refused to allow entry to anyone who had not registered with them. One emboff noticed an agent physically preventing an Eritrean woman from entering the auditorium, demanding that she go over to the other agents to give her details. ¶3. (SBU) Two emboffs approached the agents and asked who they were and what they were doing. The agents did not identify themselves as ENSO agents and were seemingly ordered (in Tigrinya) by another agent standing nearby to not answer the emboffs' inquiries. The emboffs informed the agents that the area had been rented by the embassy for its regularly scheduled outreach events and that guests were not required to register. One emboff picked up the papers with the registration details and was immediately accosted by ten plainclothes agents. The agents forcibly pinned the emboff to the wall, demanding the paper. The agents also shouted at the emboff in both Tigrinya and English, accusing the embassy of holding events without GSE permission. One ENSO agent filmed the scene with a digital camera. During the melee, one police officer pointed his AK-47 towards the group and chambered a round. Simultaneously, an ENSO agent ran into the auditorium and shouted to the audience and the invited speaker that the event was shut down and that everyone must leave. The same agent also stood in the auditorium doorway, preventing scared onlookers from seeking refuge inside and keeping those already inside the auditorium from escaping. It was not until the RSO arrived that the commotion subsided and the agents released the emboff. NOTE: The ENSO restrained the emboff to the point that his wrist remained immobile for several minutes after finally being released. END NOTE. ENSO AGENTS EVERYWHERE -------------- ¶4. (C) After the RSO's arrival, the assailants began identifying themselves as ENSO agents. Some fled the scene as more emboffs arrived and others confronted the RSO with further accusations that the U.S. embassy was hosting non-authorized events. One ENSO agent identified himself as Colonel Yemane Afewerki, head of the Zoba Maekel (Asmara and the surrounding area) security. ENSO officers also openly threatened two members of the embassy's Local Guard Force (LGF) and the Eritrean police officer who pointed his weapon at the group, warning "you will see my power." The LGF commander identified four of the agents as the ones who arrested him in 08/2008 (Reftel C). Other LGF members reported seeing several other ENSO agents in the area as well ASMARA 00000293 002 OF 002 as the police colonel in charge of protecting all diplomatic properties named Afewerki Ghebreselassie, who all later rushed to the scene of the incident. AFTERMATH -------------- ¶5. (SBU) RSO advised EAC members to maintain a low profile and to immediately call RSO if they were threatened or arrested by any Eritrean government officials. Post sent a protest dipnote to the MFA on 08/21/09 requesting a meeting to discuss this incident. RSO reminded everyone that the GSE will most likely increase its efforts to control the populace at embassy events if it views the incident as a threat. The ambassador also met with the FSN council to explain the incident. LGF members involved in this incident were advised to maintain a low profile and if arrested to have their relatives contact RSO or FSNI. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: The incident is the latest demonstration of the GSE's increasing paranoia of USG activities, specifically its PD outreach events. As importantly, Post notes the unprofessionalism and overall skittish nature of GSE's national security agents, who are not used to having their authority challenged, no matter how innocuous the challenge. MCMULLEN