US embassy cable - 04ASMARA192

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000192 
 
 
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS 
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISA 
USCENTCOM FOR POLAD 
CJTF HOA FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINS, PTER, PINR, ER 
SUBJECT: ERITREA: COMMENTS ON ISLAMIC EXTREMISM 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL OFFICER JOEY R. HOOD. REASONS: 1.4 
(B) AND (D) 
 
1. (C) POLOFF MET IN EARLY FEBRUARY WITH MUHYADIN SHENGEB, 
HEAD OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF ERITREAN YOUTH AND STUDENTS 
(NUEYS) TO DISCUSS SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND RELIGIOUS ISSUES 
AFFECTING ERITREAN YOUTH.  SHENGEB SAID THAT, ALTHOUGH 
CHRISTIAN/MUSLIM RELATIONS ARE "CORRECT" IN ERITREA, THERE 
ARE EXTREMIST ERITREAN MUSLIMS WHO WOULD LIKE TO UPSET THAT 
BALANCE.  ACCORDING TO SHENGEB, THESE ERITREAN MUSLIMS COME 
PRIMARILY FROM SUDAN, WHERE THEY HAVE LIVED FOR 10-20 YEARS 
AS REFUGEES, BUT WHO, THROUGH WAHHABI INDOCTRINATION, HAVE 
BECOME EXTREMIST IN THEIR VIEWS.  SHENGEB ATTRIBUTED RECENT 
BOMBING INCIDENTS IN TESSENEI AND BARENTU TO THESE GROUPS. 
POLOFF ASKED IF THESE EXTREMISTS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE 
RECENT GRENADE ATTACK ON A WEDDING PARTY IN KEREN, AND 
SHENGEB SAID YES, ALTHOUGH HE NOTED THAT THE ATTACK TOOK 
PLACE IN HAGAZ, APPROXIMATELY 30 KILOMETERS TO THE SOUTHWEST 
OF KEREN (SEE DAO ASMARA REPORTING FOR DETAILS ON THE 
INCREASE IN BOMBINGS).  ASKED HOW EXTREMISTS COULD TRAVEL SO 
DEEPLY INTO ERITREAN TERRITORY AND CARRY OUT SUCH ATTACKS, 
SHENGEB CONCEDED THAT "THERE CERTAINLY ARE ERITREAN MUSLIMS 
WHO ARE SYMPATHETIC WITH THESE PEOPLE AND GIVE THEM SHELTER, 
AND THESE ARE THE ONES WHO CONCERN US." 
 
2. (C) POLOFF ASKED WHAT ROLE, IF ANY, LIBYANS PLAYED IN THE 
LIVES OF ERITREANS MUSLIMS.  SHENGEB RESPONDED THAT THE 
GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF ERITREA'S (GSE) INFORMATION WAS 
NOT COMPLETE IN THIS REGARD, BUT THAT HE BELIEVED LIBYANS 
PLAYED LITTLE OR NO ROLE IN ERITREAN ISLAMIC LIFE.  THE 
LIBYAN GOVERNMENT AND THE WAHHABIS HAVE BEEN AT ODDS IN THE 
PAST, HE NOTED, BUT THEIR DIFFERENCES DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE 
GAINED MUCH TRACTION WITHIN ERITREA.  "THE LIBYANS COME IN 
HERE, AS THEY DO IN OTHER PARTS OF AFRICA, AND PROMISE A LOT, 
MAKE A BIG SHOW, AND THEN DO NOTHING," SHENGEB OBSERVED.  HE 
SAID THAT LIBYAN LEADER MU'AMMAR AL-QADDHAFI WANTED TO FORM 
AN ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES OF LIBYAN COLLEGES AND 
UNIVERSITIES IN ERITREA, WHICH HAS BEEN DONE ACCCORDING TO 
SHENGEB, BUT THIS GROUP HAS NOT AMOUNTED TO MUCH IN HIS VIEW. 
 THE LIBYAN GOVERNMENT ALSO REQUESTED TO BUILD A CULTURAL 
CENTER SEVERAL YEARS AGO, BUT "MY GOVERNMENT HAS NOT GIVEN 
ITS AUTHORIZATION," SHENGEB SAID WITH A SMILE. 
 
3. (C) BIOGRAPHIC NOTE:  SHENGEB HAS BEEN HEAD OF THE NUEYS 
SINCE BEFORE 1991 AND IS A MUSLIM ORIGINATING IN THE EASTERN 
LOWLANDS.  NUEYS IS A GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION THAT IS ACTIVE 
IN HIV/AIDS PREVENTION AND, ACCORDING TO ITS WEBSITE, "SEES 
TO IT THAT ANY NATIONALIST YOUTH INITIATIVE AIMED AT 
UPLIFTING YOUTH'S ROLE IN THE SOCIETY IS MATERIALIZED."  MORE 
IMPORTANTLY, PERHAPS, SHENGEB IS ALSO AN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 
MEMBER OF THE RULING PARTY, THE PEOPLE'S FRONT FOR DEMOCRACY 
AND JUSTICE (PFDJ).  HE CLAIMS TO BE 34 YEARS OLD AND WAS A 
FULL-TIME ACTIVIST IN MASS ORGANIZATIONS IN EUROPE AND THE 
MIDDLE EAST DURING THE INDEPENDENCE STRUGGLE.  HE IS 
CHARACTERIZED BY LONGTIME EMBASSY CONTACTS AS MODERATE, 
PRAGMATIC, AND A NATIONALIST. 
 
4. (C) COMMENT:  SHENGEB'S COMMENTS, WHILE REFLECTING THE 
PFDJ'S OFFICIAL LINE, ARE MORE NUANCED THAN WHAT WE SOMETIMES 
HEAR FROM GSE OFFICIALS.  MANY OFFICIALS WILL NOT ADMIT THAT 
THERE ARE ERITREAN MUSLIMS WHO SYMPATHIZE WITH, EVEN IF THEY 
DO NOT FULLY SUPPORT, EXTREMIST ERITREANS WHO ARE TRYING TO 
DISCREDIT THE GSE.  AS RECENTLY AS JANUARY 24, TWO HIGH-LEVEL 
PFDJ MEMBERS TOLD A VISITING ACP-EU DELEGATION THAT "THERE IS 
NO POLITICAL OPPOSITION IN ERITREA, ONLY OUTSIDE FORCES 
TRYING TO DESTABILIZE THE GOVERNMENT" (REF B).  SHENGEB'S 
CANDID VIEWS ARE PROBABLY A MORE ACCURATE REFLECTION OF THE 
GSE'S REALIZATION THAT THERE IS A DANGER THAT RELIGIOUS 
EXTREMISM COULD GAIN A FOOTHOLD AMONG ORDINARY ERITREANS AND 
THAT THIS MUST BE COUNTERED. 
 
5. (U) KHARTOUM MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. 
 
KATZ