(2017-0892-F) Eritrea

6 folders, approximately 420 pages

This collection contains records related to the 1993 Independence Referendum for the State of Eritrea. The collection consists of National Security Council Staff and Office files, State Department Cables and White House Emails. The records include an invitation to President Clinton from Eritrean President Issaias Afwerki to attend the Independence Day celebrations in Eritrea, cables regarding the progress of the independence referendum in Eritrea, various press briefings on the status of the United States formal recognition of the new state of Eritrea, and memorandums about a possible Presidential delegation to the independence celebration.

The materials in FOIA 2017-0892-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. (See 2011-0283-F) After independence from Italian colonial control in 1941 and 10 years of British administrative control, the United Nations (UN) established Eritrea as an autonomous region within the Ethiopian federation in 1952. Ethiopia's full annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a bloody 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991, with the EPLF (Eritrean People’s Liberation Front), led by Issaias Afwerki, defeating the Ethiopian government forces. In a UN monitored referendum the Eritrean people overwhelmingly approved independence in 1993. Records responsive to this FOIA collection include an invitation to President Clinton from Issaias Afwerki to attend the Independence Day celebrations in Eritrea, U.S. State Department cables regarding the progress of the independence referendum in Eritrea, press briefings on the status of the United States formal recognition of the new state of Eritrea, and a memorandum concerning a presidential delegation to Eritrea’s independence celebration. The majority of these records related to this FOIA case are closed for national security reasons.

Textual

Records that are responsive to this FOIA request were found in these collection areas— Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files and Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management Systems. Staff and Office files were maintained at the folder level by staff members within their individual offices and document all levels of administration activity

Collection is open to all researchers. Access to Clinton Presidential Records is governed by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. Chapter 22, as amended) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended) and therefore records may be restricted in whole or in part in accordance with legal exemptions.

Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States government as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Researchers are advised to consult the copyright law of the United States (17 U.S.C. Chapter 1) which governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.

Official records of William Jefferson Clinton’s presidency are housed at the Clinton Presidential Library and administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under the provisions of the Presidential Records Act (PRA).

Staff Archivist, 2017. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released.

Box 1
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
National Security Council
African Affairs
Ordway, John / Jett, Dennis / Ward, Jennifer
Jett Chron Files, April 1993 [Eritrean Independence Celebration, April 30]
[OA/ID 499]
Clinton Presidential Records: NSC Cable, Email, and Records Management System
NSC Cables
Jan 1993-Dec 1994 [OA/ID 505000]
[Eritrea Independence]
[01/03/1993 – 01/20/1993]
[01/21/1993 – 03/05/1993]
[03/08/1993 – 04/27/1993]
[04/27/1993 – 04/30/1993]
NSC Records Management System
[Eritrea Independence]
9302461 [OA/ID 2267]