REPORTED OCTOBER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AGAINST

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000386 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/TIA/ITA, DS/IP/SPC/SO, AF/E, AF/RSA, LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2029 TAGS: ASEC PINR PINS MOPS PGOV PREL ER SUBJECT: REPORTED OCTOBER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AGAINST PRESIDENT ISAIAS REF: ASMARA 273 Classified By: Ambassador Ronald K. McMullen for Reason 1.4 (d) ¶1. (C) On 10/28/09 President Isaias narrowly missed being killed in an IED attack east of Barentu, according to a reliable embassy source. The source told RSO that Isaias visited a micro-dam project in Tessesnei and then traveled east in a motorcade to Keren. Outside of Barentu, an IED exploded, killing three soldiers in the lead vehicle. The attack left Isaias' vehicle (the second car in the convoy) unharmed. The embassy source stated the IED was planted by disgruntled elements of the Eritrean military. Ethnic Kunamas, the main source of violence in the region, were not implicated. The source stated his girlfriend's brother was one of the soldiers killed in the lead vehicle. ¶2. (C) The embassy source also stated there is growing disenchantment within the Eritrean government (GSE) and the military. Muslim Eritrean officials are upset at being marginalized by the majority Christian Tigrinya speaking makeup of the GSE. An increasing number of high ranking military officers are frustrated over the suffering caused by the policies of the Isaias administration. ¶3. (C) Post Comments: This report has not been corroborated or reported in the Eritrean media. A separate assassination attempt against Isaias by an Eritrean soldier was reported in 08/2009 (Reftel). Post continues to hear reports of growing anger over Eritrean government policies by the military and other elements of Eritrean society. McMULLEN