CIA accused of Eritrea 'coup plot' (DISPUTE YOU NEVER HEARD OF ALERT)

BBC News ^ | October 21, 2002 | Alex Last

[MadIvan]

The Eritrean Government has reacted furiously to criticism from the US State Department.

The US State Department called on the Eritrean Government to release two local employees of the US embassy in Eritrea who have been in detention since last year; Ali Alamin and Kiflom Gebremichael.

It also urged the Eritrean Government to grant them an open and fair trail and "respect fundamental human rights."

The Eritrean Foreign Ministry released a statement which said it totally rejected the state department's position, and called on it to refrain from unwarranted intervention.

But the statement also contains some surprises, with the government accusing the previous administration of President Bill Clinton of employing the CIA to seek to unlawfully change the government in Asmara, during the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Out of all the things to accuse Weird Bill of, I think this sounds the most unlikely. He probably couldn't find Eritrea on a map. No famous actresses with large breasts from there, you know. - Ivan

'Conspiracy'

In essence, the Eritrean statement implies that the top 11 Eritrean government officials, including former leaders of the liberation movement, who publicly criticized the Eritrean president after the recent war with Ethiopia, were recruited by the CIA.

The government has previously accused the officials of defeatism and of conspiring to remove President Isaias Afewerki.

They were arrested in September last year, though none of them have been charged and they remain imprisoned at an unknown location.

The US State Department criticised their detention without trial and said that the arrested officials had advocated greater democracy in Eritrea.

Media

The Eritrean statement goes on to accuse the US of fomenting divisions within the Eritrean Government and among the Eritrean people, and of funding the private media to distort the internal political situation.

The government said it took "necessary actions against hostile elements to safeguard the sovereignty and the national security of the country".

All Eritrean private newspapers have been closed since last September.

Eritrea is the only country in Africa without a local private press.

Amnesty International says that 18 journalists are currently detained without charge.

Anti-terrorist base?

The Eritrean statement highlights the inherent suspicion the administration has for the US, despite Eritrean attempts to improve relations with the Bush administration.

Most importantly Eritrea has been inviting the US to make use of its facilities for the war against terrorism - a great way to nullify any threat from Eritrea's regional opponents, Ethiopia, Sudan and, more recently, Yemen.

Diplomatic sources say that many in the Pentagon have been in favour of using Eritrean facilities, such as the heavily militarised Red Sea port of Assab, now unused, which is considered to be one of the most secure locations in the region.

But so far, sources say, this has been opposed by the State Department, not least because of the detention of the Eritrean employees of the American Embassy.

Instead, US forces are currently using neighbouring Djibouti.

The Eritrean Government's angry reaction to US criticism is unlikely to bring the establishment of a US base any closer.

[MadIvan]

Peculiar. Oh well, just another little local difficulty.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[Poohbah]

They're just jealous because Bill ignored them for eight years.

[dighton]

Patriots vs. Traitors bump.

[1bigdictator]

< "Out of all the things to accuse Weird Bill of, I think this sounds the most unlikely. He probably couldn't find Eritrea on a map. No famous actresses with large breasts from there, you know." - Ivan

Your insert flowed so nicely in the article, too bad you signed it or we would have been onionized.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

FYI

[slane]

The US had a large military and CIA presence in Eritrea before Mengistu and the commies took over, kicked them out and invited the Soviets in. This may account for the Eritrean's charges. Hard to believe that the US would give a toss about Eritrean internal politics now...the only reason they were there before was to monitor the Soviet Union. The place has absolutely no strategic value since the Soviet Union came apart.

[Consort]

Eritrea

[taxcontrol]

[for others who, like myself had no clue as to Eritrea]

Eritrea is south of Sudan on the wester side of the Red Sea.

Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two and a half year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices on 12 December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping operation that will monitor the border region until an international commission determines and demarcates the boundary between the two countries.

----

Country seems to be VERY poor and mostly Islamic. Most important intelligence capability would be it's proximity to shipping lanes on the Red Sea

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Eritrea can usually be cured massive doses of antibiotics and two weeks of bed rest.

[Happygal]

Thanks...I had never heard of Eritrea before.

Then again, I get lost when I get outside the ring road of my little Irish town! *L*

[slane]

The only reason that I know anything about Eritrea is because I used to live there. You're correct about the poverty...however, Eritrea is (I believe) mainly Coptic Christian although there is a large Muslim population as well. The famine that got such coverage in the Western press in the 80's occurred in the area that is Eritrea now and was exacerbated by the Mengistu government as a way to put down the Eritrean rebellion. When the US was there in the 60's and early 70's as allies of the Ethiopian government they aided the Ethopian army against the rebels, which no doubt accounts for the Eritrean's paranoia about US machinations today.

[Orual]

"Feather-footed through the plashy fen passes the questing vole."

[sharktrager]

Well, this would explain what the CIA was doing instead of gathering intelligence on terrorists.

[Billthedrill]

Ah, beautiful Eritrea - I'm planning a vacation there real soon now. I first read about the resorts and the friendly natives there in a book by L. M. Nesbitt entitled Hell-Hole of Creation - The Exploration of Abyssinian Danakil. Hey, the place has everything - hostile natives who take heads, daytime temperatures approaching 130 Fahrenheit, no water, and lots and lots of people with guns who like moving targets for practice, especially if they're explorers. Gotta love that old Rift Valley...

[flanew]

Thanks