ERITREAN GOVERNMENT GALVANIZES THE PUBLIC OVER UN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000040 NOFORN DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/TIA/ITA, DS/IP/SPC/SO, INR, AND AF/E E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2030 TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL ER SUBJECT: ERITREAN GOVERNMENT GALVANIZES THE PUBLIC OVER UN SANCTIONS Classified By: Ambassador Ronald K. McMullen for Reason 1.4 (d) ¶1. (SBU) The Eritrean government (GSE) is coercing its citizens into participating in letter-writing and petition-signing campaigns, ostensibly to get the sanctions overturned, but actually to drum up anti-American, pro-regime sympathy. This week schoolchildren throughout Eritrea were told to bring envelopes and money for postage to class this week. At school they all wrote the same four-line message to President Obama asking him to reverse UNSCR 1907. Other students, government workers, and employees of government-owned companies were forced to sign petitions demanding that the UN reverse the sanctions. ¶2. (C) Post has received several reports that there will be a demonstration at the embassy to coincide with the scheduled anti-sanctions marches on February 22 in Washington, San Francisco, Melbourne, and Geneva. A reliable embassy source said the GSE would provide baseball caps with the logo "never kneel down" to protesters. However, Minister of Information Ali Abdu denied any GSE involvement in the planned demonstrations, according to the VOA. A Reuters article the same day said the GSE-run newspaper Eritrea Profile is "running a sustained campaign" charging the United States with masterminding the UN sanctions imposed on it and wanting to control the whole Horn of Africa region. ¶3. (C) Security measures: Post will bring in additional LGF members on Feburary 22 as a precautionary measure and LGF vehicles will be on the lookout for gatherings or possible marches heading towards the embassy. Post also requested additional police coverage at the embassy for February 22, but does not expect to receive it. All American personnel have been advised to keep a low profile and to carry their charged radios or cellphones. ¶4. (C) Comment: Conventional wisdom in Asmara has been that the GSE would never allow any sort of public protest, even a pro-government one, for fear of it getting out of control and turning against the regime. If the GSE permits a demonstration against the embassy, it will be the first one directed at us since 2001. The GSE will likely select regime loyalists to lead the demonstration, but police and members of the Eritrean National Security Organization will watch the situation carefully. Ironically, by orchestrating protests, letter-writing and petition drives, the GSE may have inadvertantly planted the democratic notion that is acceptable to demand redress of grievances from public officials. McMullen