US embassy cable - 04SANAA397

UNCLAS SANAA 000397 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SECSTATE PRM FOR CAMILLE D HILL 
ADDIS FOR REFCOORD JON EKLUND 
CAIRO FOR REFCOORD GERARD CHEYNE 
ATHENS FOR DHS JACOB ANTONINIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF, YM 
SUBJECT: SIT-IN BY ETHIOPIAN REFUGEES AT UNHCR SANA'A 
 
1. (SBU) Summary.  A group of former refugees composed of 
Mengistu-era Ethopian naval officers have maintained a 24/7 
sit-in at Sanaa's UNHCR office for eight days demanding 
consideration for resettlement in the US or another third 
country.  The sit-in began on Tuesday, February 10, after a 
UNHCR translator informed someone outside UNHCR's offices of 
the expected late-April DHS visit to Yemen to take 
applications for resettlement.  UNHCR is located adjacent to 
the residence of the DCM, creating security concerns.  End 
Summary. 
 
2.  (UN) With the fall of the Mengistu government in 1991 a 
group of 700 Ethiopian naval officers fled to Yemen with 14 
Ethiopian naval vessels.  While approximately 150 of the 
officers eventually returned to Ethiopia the rest remain in 
Yemen.  To date the group has not been integrated into Yemeni 
society nor accorded the status of legitimate refugees. On 
February 10 they began a 24/7 sit-in in front of the UNHCR to 
draw attention to their plight. According to UNHCR, the group 
is neither completely homogeneous nor unified.  Some members 
wish to remain in Yemen and are seeking their legal rights 
under the 1951 Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees, 
which Yemen signed but never implemented domestically.  This 
faction is reportedly seeking work permits and in some cases 
nationality in Yemen. The majority of the group seeks 
resettlement in a third country, namely the US or Canada, and 
is opposed to being registered in Yemen because they believe 
that will end their chances for third country resettlement. 
 
3.  (SBU) On February 15, 2004, representatives of the 
refugees met with UNHCR for over 3 hours, during which the 
refugees expressed their demands and UNHCR explained the 
options available to them.  Subsequent to the February 15th 
meeting, UNHCR met with the ROYG Ministry of Interior and the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs to push for host government 
compliance with its Convention obligations as well as to 
protest the lack of security surrounding the sit-in. 
According to Saad Al-Attar, the UNHCR representative managing 
the situation, someone in the host government admitted in 
front of UNHCR staff members that the ROYG gave the 
demonstrators a tacit green light to commence and continue, 
despite the fact that no permit to protest was issued. 
Al-Attar stated that in the past when even a few 
demonstrators have appeared at UNHCR, government authorities 
have cleared them away without delay.  In his view, the fact 
that this sit-in has lasted over a week and initially swelled 
to over one hundred people is evidence of ROYG involvement. 
 
4.  Comment.  Most of the initial group have reportedly 
returned to work, but a residual group of several dozen 
remains.  The sit-in remained at all times peaceful.  Post 
has informed the DHS regional refugee coordiantor in Cairo, 
and will continue to monitor the situation.  At this time 
there does not appear to be any reason to postpone or cancel 
the planned DHS visit to Yemen in late April. 
MISENHEIMER