[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1708 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1708
Recognizing the destructive role of the Government of Eritrea and
calling on the Secretary of State to designate Eritrea as a country
that has provided support for international terrorism.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 29, 2010
Mr. Royce (for himself and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the destructive role of the Government of Eritrea and
calling on the Secretary of State to designate Eritrea as a country
that has provided support for international terrorism.
Whereas the State of Eritrea is supporting al Qaeda linked militants in the Horn
of Africa, including al Shabaab, which has been designated a foreign
terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration and
Nationality Act and as a specially designated global terrorist under
section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, and is of increasing concern to
United States counterterrorism officials;
Whereas the United Nations Sanctions Monitoring Group on Somalia, established by
a committee of the United Nations Security Council pursuant to
Resolutions 751 (1992) and 1519 (2003), reported in July 2007 ``that
huge quantities of arms have been provided to the Shabaab by and through
Eritrea'', and ``the weapons in caches and otherwise in possession of
the Shabaab include an unknown number of surface-to-air missiles,
suicide belts, and explosives with timers and detonators'';
Whereas in April 2008, the United Nations Sanctions Monitoring Group on Somalia
reported, ``the Government of Eritrea continues to provide support to
groups that oppose the Transitional Federal Government in the form of
arms and military training to fighters of the Shabaab'', and that on or
about January 8, 2008, an arms shipment from Eritrea arrived in
Mogadishu containing dismantled RPG-7s, hand grenades, anti-tank mines,
detonators, pistols, mortar shells, AK-47 assault rifles, PKM machine
guns, RPG-2s, small mortars, FAL assault rifles, rifle-fired grenades
for the FAL, M-16s, and explosives;
Whereas the April 2008 report of the United Nations Sanctions Monitoring Group
on Somalia also found that, ``towards the end of 2007, about 120
fighters of the Shabaab travelled to Eritrea for the purpose of
attending military training at a military base located near the
Ethiopian border.'';
Whereas in its December 2008 report, the United Nations Sanctions Monitoring
Group on Somalia identified Eritrea as a ``principal violator'' of the
arms embargo on Somalia and asserted that ``Eritrean arms embargo
violations take place with the knowledge and authorization of senior
officials within the Eritrean Government and the ruling People's Front
for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ).'';
Whereas, on May 20, 2009, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Affairs
Johnnie Carson testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
that, ``We have clear evidence that Eritrea is supporting these
extremist elements [inside Somalia], including credible reports that the
Government of Eritrea continues to supply weapons and munitions to
extremists and terrorist elements.'';
Whereas, on December 23, 2009, largely at the behest of African governments, the
United Nations Security Council in Resolution 1907 (2009) demanded that
all Member States, in particular Eritrea, cease to arm, train, and equip
armed groups, including al Shabaab, that aim to destabilize the region
and subsequently imposed a ban on the sale or supply of weapons,
training, and related materiel to or from Eritrea;
Whereas in its March 2010 report, the United Nations Sanctions Monitoring Group
on Somalia noted that ``the Government of Eritrea has provided
significant and sustained political, financial and material support,
including arms, ammunition and training to armed opposition groups in
Somalia since at least 2007.'';
Whereas the March 2010 report by the United Nations Sanctions Monitoring Group
on Somalia further noted that the Government of Eritrea has provided
Eritrean passports to senior al Shabaab leaders, including Mukhtar
Robow, who the United States Department of the Treasury has identified
as al Shabaab's spokesman, spiritual leader, and military commander in
southern Somalia and is subject to United States sanctions;
Whereas the United Nations Sanctions Monitoring Group on Somalia also accuses
Eritrea of providing ``direct and overt support'' for the return to
Somalia of Hassan Dahir Aweys, who leads the radical Islamist Hizbul
Islam insurgent group in Somalia and is subject to United States
sanctions pursuant to Executive Order 13224 and United Nations sanctions
pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267;
Whereas, on March 24, 2010, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
Johnnie Carson testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, ``There is no doubt that al
Shabaab is a terrorist organization. There is no doubt that Eritrea has
supported the elements of al Shabaab'';
Whereas, on April 10, 2010, Yemane Gebreab, Head of Political Affairs and
Presidential Adviser in the Government of Eritrea, was included on a
list of persons contributing to the conflict in Somalia and subject to
United States sanctions pursuant to Executive Order 13536;
Whereas al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the July 11, 2010, attacks in
Kampala, Uganda, which killed more than 70 people, including a United
States citizen, who had gathered to watch the World Cup finals,
demonstrating the growing sophistication and reach of al Shabbab's
operations;
Whereas United States law enforcement and counter terrorism officials have been
increasingly concerned by reports of Somali-American youths disappearing
from United States locales to train with al Shabaab in Somalia, and the
head of Great Britain's domestic intelligence service warned recently
that it is ``only a matter of time before we see terrorism on our
streets inspired by those who are today fighting alongside al-Shabaab'';
and
Whereas section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act of 1979, section 40 of the
Arms Export Control Act, and section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961 stipulate that a designated state sponsor of terrorism is one
``that repeatedly provides support to acts of international terrorism'':
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives
that--
(1) given the growing security threat from al Shabaab, a
United States-designated foreign terrorist organization, every
effort should be made to tackle its outside sources of support;
(2) Eritrea's ongoing and well-documented support for armed
insurgents in Somalia, including al Shabaab, poses a
significant threat to the national security interests of the
United States and East African nations; and
(3) the Secretary of State should designate the State of
Eritrea as a state sponsor of terrorism pursuant to section
6(j) of the Export Administration Act of 1979, section 40 of
the Arms Export Control Act, and section 620A of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961.
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