EMBASSY MEETS WITH ERITREAN COMMUNITY LEADERS IN

S E C R E T CAIRO 000036 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, DRL, AF/E, G/TIP, PRM FOR LANGE, PRM FOR MCKELVEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/08/2019 TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV PREF ER EG SUBJECT: EMBASSY MEETS WITH ERITREAN COMMUNITY LEADERS IN CAIRO REF: A. 2006 CAIRO 170 ¶B. 2008 CAIRO 1972 ¶C. 2008 CAIRO 1316 Classified By: Minister Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs William R. Stewart for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. Summary: The Embassy met with Eritrean community leaders in Cairo on January 4 to discuss the increased flow of Eritrean migrants, the plight of Eritreans in Egypt, and the recent Egyptian refoulement of Eritrean migrants. Eritrean leaders estimate there are 10,000 Eritreans living in Cairo. The number of migrant has increased drastically in the past two years because of deteriorating economic and human rights conditions in Eritrea. Community leaders complained that UNHCR did not offer resettlement to Eritrean refugees and said refugee status provided no protection against arrest and refoulement. Leaders told us that many Eritreans were seeking to migrate to Israel because of the "hopeless situation in Cairo." Post has been actively engaging with UNHCR and the Government of Egypt to halt the forced return of Eritrean migrants, many of whom face imprisonment, torture and possible execution if returned. End Summary. -------------- Meeting Eritrean Community Leaders -------------- ¶2. (C) We met with four Eritrean community leaders in Cairo on January 4. According to Heba Kassem, an NGO leader who works closely with the Eritrean community, the four individuals were chosen by the local Eritrean community to represent their views to the U.S. Embassy. We discussed the increased flow of Eritrean migrants, the situation of Eritrean refugees in Cairo, the shootings of Eritrean migrants on the Israel border, and the recent Egyptian refoulement of Eritrean migrants. The Eritrean leaders estimate that there are approximately 10,000 Eritreans living in Cairo, but only 1,800 are registered with UNHCR. They told us that most Eritreans do not register as refugees, claiming that "UNHCR does not want to resettle them, and UNHCR is a pipeline to Egyptian State Security, arrest and deportation." All the leaders appealed for the USG's help in resolving the Eritrean refugee situation in Egypt. -------------- --- Increasing Flow, but Egypt Not Final Destination -------------- --- ¶3. (S) All four leaders noted that the number of Eritrean migrants coming to Egypt has increased dramatically over the past two years, due to the dire situation in Eritrea. UNHCR Cairo statistics show a nearly 180% increase in registered Eritrean refugees over the past 18 months. Refugee leader, Aman Goitom (protect),stated that many Eritreans are desperate to leave Eritrea due to the "terrible economic and human rights conditions in the country." He said that the Eritrean Government's decision to increase the maximum age of forced military conscription from 27 to 47 caused many men to flee the country. Goitom told us that Eritreans fear the long arm of Eritrean State Security in both Ethiopia and Sudan, so many chose to come to Egypt as "their best short-term option." He said that an Eritrean will pay smugglers about USD 500 (approximately double the average annual income in Eritrea) to come from Eritrea to Egypt. ¶4. (S) All the leaders told us that life in Egypt was better than in Eritrea, but said that "Egypt is not the final destination for most Eritreans." Hana Weldeab (protect),a community leader that works with refugees, said there are few job opportunities in Egypt for Eritrean refugees. She said the difficulty in speaking Arabic prevents Eritreans from getting work in the local economy and their children from attending local schools. She told us that women can find work as domestic servants, but they are often abused and have no legal rights or recourse. Weldeab said that many Eritreans in Egypt are supported by relatives in the West, or by family members in Eritrea. -------------- Dissatisfaction with UNHCR -------------- ¶5. (S) Weldeab stated that most Eritreans are dissatisfied with UNHCR and its partner organizations. She said that since Eritreans do not speak Arabic, they are segregated and not treated equally. Weldeab said that UNHCR currently has a two-year waiting period for interviews to determine refugee status, and all the leaders said that resettlement through UNHCR is no longer a realistic option. Senait Haile (protect),a community leader that works closely with the refugees, stated that since the Mustafa Mahmoud incident in December 2005, in which Egyptian police clashed with Sudanese refugees in front of the UNHCR offices, UNHCR in Cairo has not been actively resettling African refugees (reftel A). She told us that persons who are supposed to get first preference--such as single mothers, vulnerable minors, elderly, and medical cases--have not been offered resettlement. Haile said "there are some Eritrean refugees that have been in Cairo for ten years that are still not being resettled." ¶6. (S) Akhlu Teklay (protect),an Eritrean who works for the African and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA),a local NGO that provides legal aid to refugees, faulted UNHCR for failing to protect Eritrean refugees. He said that many of the Eritreans currently imprisoned in Egypt hold UNHCR "blue cards", which signify official refugee status as determined by UNHCR. However, he stated that the blue card "serves as no protection against arrest or deportation by Egyptian Authorities." He also said that UNHCR has not adapted its policies to the worsening conditions in Eritrea, stating that UNHCR does not recognize that a man in his thirties or forties is still at risk for forced military conscription if they return to Eritrea, so they do not offer him protection, or refugee status. -------------- Egyptian Mistreatment -------------- ¶7. (S) Local and international refugee officials tell us the Eritrean migrants, which are arrested and charged with "illegally crossing Egypt's borders", are tried in military courts. If convicted, the migrants are fined, and imprisoned for one year (reftel B). Teklay told us that the imprisoned Eritreans are held in small cells with convicted Egyptian criminals. He said these Eritreans have limited or no access to sunlight for periods of 3-5 months, no access to medical treatment, and are given food that is "not suitable for animals." Teklay added that the Eritreans prisoners are often beaten and discriminated against because of their color. Upon completion of their sentences, Egypt often forcibly repatriates the migrants back to Eritrea. ¶8. (S) All the community leaders believe that the Eritrean Embassy in Cairo is involved in efforts to forcibly repatriate Eritreans from Egypt. They all asserted that "there is a connection between Egyptian State Security (SSIS) and the Eritrean Embassy." According to the claims of the community leaders, the Eritrean Embassy hires people to infiltrate the Eritrean community and then alerts SSIS to specific refugees and migrants that it wants to be returned to Eritrea. We spoke with the fianc of a former captain in the Eritrean Army, who is one of three "higher ranking" military officers, scheduled to be repatriated by Egypt to Eritrea. Through tears she expressed that someone was behind his imprisonment and possible refoulement. Teklay agrees. He told us that at the beginning of 2008 there were 2,000 Eritreans in Egyptian prisons for "illegally entering the country." He said that Egypt security, working in conjunction with the Eritrean Embassy, forcibly repatriated 916 of these Eritreans in 2008 leaving about 1,100 still in Egyptian prisons. However, Goitom stated that the forced return of Eritreans by Egypt in June 2008 did nothing to stem the flow of migrants (reftel C). Instead, it convinced the migrants not to come to Cairo, but to attempt to go directly to Israel migrating illegally through the Sinai. -------------- Destination Israel -------------- ¶9. (S) All the leaders agreed that the Eritrean refugees had lost the hope of resettlement. As a result, many Eritreans decide to go to Israel. Goitom told us that smugglers charge approximately USD 700 to go to from Egypt to Israel. This is in addition to the USD 500 charged from Eritrea to Egypt. We encouraged the leaders to advise the Eritrean community about the dangers of attempting to reach Israel. Teklay told us that the community leadership held a conference at the American University in Cairo (AUC) where it advised Eritreans not to go to Israel, but the appeal was not effective because most "see no hope in remaining in Egypt." Goitom said that many Eritreans say "I will die somewhere, why not trying to attain a better life in Israel?" -------------- "Stateless" Individuals -------------- ¶10. (C) We also met with three representatives from "stateless" (i.e. those without a passport or documentation) Eritrean and Ethiopian migrants. These migrants lack a legal identity, and are unable to apply for refugee status under the UNHCR system. In addition, many have no place in either the Eritrean or Ethiopian communities since they cannot prove their heritage. Some stateless individuals found themselves in this situation due to their "mixed" family heritage after the Eritrean War of Independence and subsequent referendum, which led to the establishment of the State of Eritrea in May ¶1993. Others appear to have lost, forged, or purposefully destroyed their documents, perhaps to avoid being returned to their county of origin. AUC's Center for Forced Migration is working to help note their stories so they can access refugee services and obtain an identity. The migrants stated that AUC has tried to enlist support of the USG on this issue, but without success. (Note: We were informed by the Eritreans of a letter sent by AUC to the Cairo Embassy in early 2008. The whereabouts of this letter are unknown. We are following up with AUC's Center for Forced Migration to obtain another copy.) ¶11. (C) Comment: Embassy Cairo is actively working to prevent the refoulement of Eritrean migrants from Egypt. In the last two weeks, 45 Eritrean migrants have been forcibly returned. However, UNHCR informed the Embassy on January 8 that three individuals, for whom we advocated, have been granted emergency resettlement to Sweden and possibly Finland. The Government of Egypt (GOE) argues that the "refugees" are economic migrants or military deserters, and deserve to be forcibly returned. The GOE also believes that forced repatriation will deter future Eritrean migrants. Conversely, the policy seems to be redirecting the migrant flow to the Sinai, which will probably lead to more shootings on the Israel border. The Embassy continues to advocate for UNHCR access to all Eritrean migrants in order to determine protection needs and refugee status. However, UNHCR has been somewhat ineffective at resolving recent refugee crises, and is not trusted by any of the large refugee communities in Cairo. It is notable that the GOE often grants the Eritrean Embassy access to the migrants, while UNHCR is denied the same access. Embassy Cairo is also aware that the treatment of Eritrean maids could be a trafficking issue, and we are working our G/TIP office, NGOs, international organizations, and Egyptian Authorities to combat trafficking-in-persons. SCOBEY