ISAIAS ORDERS ERITREA/SUDAN BORDER TIGHTENED

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000392 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/E AND AF/RSA LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2019 TAGS: MOPS PREL PGOV PREF SU ER SUBJECT: ISAIAS ORDERS ERITREA/SUDAN BORDER TIGHTENED REF: A. ASMARA 196 ¶B. ASMARA 391 Classified By: Ambassador Ronald K. McMullen for reason 1.4(d). ¶1. (C) President Isaias, upset at the high number of Eritreans illegaly leaving the country, ordered Major General Gerezgiher "Wuchu" Andemariam to tighten the Eritrea-Sudan border, according to an embassy source. Wuchu, who formerly was in charge of the Zoba Makael region, where Asmara is located, was transferred to command of the Eritrea-Sudan border area in 2008. Since then, the number of Eritreans fleeing the country through the porous border has approximately doubled, according to UNHCR (Refel A). Local sources who are contemplating fleeing have also stated that the military is the primary conduit for arranging escape from the country, with military vehicles often being the source of transportation. ¶2. (C) In recent weeks, President Isaias has downplayed the severity of the youth flight from Eritrea. In an October 25 interview with Reuters, he stated that Eritreans were merely "going on a picnic" and would soon return. In previous interviews he attributed the high number of fleeing Eritreans either to CIA operations or falsified information. Nonetheless, the number of those illegally leaving the country each year remains one of the highest in the world. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: President Isaias' command to tighten the border demonstrates that he is keenly aware of the large number of Eritrean youth fleeing each year. It is also likely that he knows the military plays a large role in the smuggling operations. Over half of the most recent class of Sawa (the military training facility a few miles east of the Sudan border) reportedly fled the country (Ref B),another factor which undoubtedly weighs heavily on the president. As the number of youth leaving the country continues to increase, the Eritrean government will likely take further measures to stem the illegal outflow of its citizens. McMULLEN