“A warm
friendship connects the Ethiopian and American people,” U.S.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced earlier this year. “We
remain committed to working with Ethiopia to foster liberty,
democracy, economic growth, protection of human rights, and the rule
of law.”
Indeed, the
website for the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia is marked by press releases
touting U.S. aid for farmers and support for public health
infrastructure in that East African nation. “Ethiopia remains
among the most effective development partners, particularly in the
areas of health care, education, and food security,” says the
State Department.
Behind the
scenes, however, Ethiopia and the U.S. are bound together by
long-standing relationships built on far more than dairy processing
equipment or health centers to treat people with HIV. Fifteen years
ago, the U.S. began setting up very different centers, filled with
technology that is not normally associated with the protection of
human rights.
In the
aftermath of 9/11, according to classified U.S. documents published
Wednesday by The Intercept, the National Security Agency forged a
relationship with the Ethiopian government that has expanded
exponentially over the years. What began as one small facility soon
grew into a network of clandestine eavesdropping outposts designed to
listen in on the communications of Ethiopians and their neighbors
across the Horn of Africa in the name of counterterrorism.
In exchange
for local knowledge and an advantageous location, the NSA provided
the East African nation with technology and training integral to
electronic surveillance. “Ethiopia’s position provides the
partnership unique access to the targets,” a commander of the
U.S. spying operation wrote in a classified 2005 report.
Full
report:
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