KABILA'S "SELF-DEFENSE FORCES"

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 008381

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2010
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL CG
SUBJECT: KABILA'S "SELF-DEFENSE FORCES"


REF: A. KINSHASA '99

B. 8034


CLASSIFIED BY POLOFF JONATHAN PRATT FOR REASONS 1.5 (B/D).



1. (U) IN A MOVE THAT MAKES KINSHASA RESIDENTS NERVOUS,
PRESIDENT KABILA HAS APPARENTLY DECIDED TO REVIVE THE
"PEOPLE'S SELF-DEFENSE FORCES" (FAP),THE ARMED WING OF THE
PEOPLE'S POWER COMMITTEES (CPP). KABILA FIRST AIRED THE IDEA
OF ARMING NEIGHBORHOOD MILITIAS ONE YEAR AGO (REFTEL),BUT
HAS NOT FOLLOWED UP ON HIS IDEA UNTIL NOW. HOWEVER, DURING A
PUBLIC CEREMONY ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14 AT NDJILI AIRPORT,
VICE-GOVERNOR OF KINSHASA CHRISTOPHE MUZUNGU ANNOUNCED THAT
PRESIDENT KABILA HAD TASKED HIM WITH REVIVING THE FAP.
KABILA'S MILITARY ADVISOR, EDDY KAPEND, WAS ON HAND FOR THE
CEREMONY. THE VICE-GOVERNOR TOLD THE CPP-ORGANIZED CROWD
THAT PRESIDENT KABILA, IN REVIVING THE FAP, WAS DRAWING ON
THE EXAMPLE OF VIETNAM "WHERE DURING THE WAR EVEN OLD PEOPLE
HAD TO BEAR ARMS." FOLLOWING MUZUNGU'S SPEECH, THE LEADER OF
NDJILI'S CPP REPORTEDLY ANNOUNCED THAT HE HAD SPENT TWO
MONTHS TRAINING THE NDJILI FAP AND THAT "THEY WERE READY TO
RECEIVE THEIR WEAPONS."



2. (U) IN PUBLIC STATEMENTS SINCE THE CEREMONY AT NDJILI,
MUZUNGU HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING ALL KINSHASA RESIDENTS TO
REGISTER WITH THE FAP OUT OF "PATRIOTIC DUTY." AT CPP/FAP
RALLY IN KINSHASA ON SUNDAY, MUZUNGU REPORTEDLY ANNOUNCED
THAT 120,000 RECRUITS HAD ALREADY ENROLLED.



3. (U) GIVEN THE TIMING OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (RIGHT ON THE
HEELS OF THE SIX-MONTH MONUC EXTENSION),SOME OBSERVERS HAVE
SPECULATED THAT KABILA'S REASON FOR ARMING THE FAC IS TO
INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SECURITY FORCES IN KINSHASA PRIOR TO A
LARGER UN DEPLOYMENT. VICE-GOVERNOR MUZUNGU DENIED THIS
CLAIM IN A PUBLISHED INTERVIEW ON DECEMBER 18 WITH
INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER "LA REFERENCE PLUS", EXPLAINING THAT
THE PRIMARY REASON FOR ARMING THE FAP WOULD BE TO COUNTER THE
RECENT INCREASE IN ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS BY SOLDIERS AND
POLICE. IN RESPONSE TO THE WIDELY-HELD BELIEF THAT ARMING
THE FAP WOULD HAVE THE EFFECT OF WORSENING RATHER THAN
IMPROVING THE SECURITY SITUATION IN KINSHASA, MUZUNGU ASSURED
"LA REFERENCE PLUS" READERS THAT THE FAP WOULD BE VERY WELL
TRAINED AND HIGHLY ORGANIZED.



4. (C) COMMENT: KABILA'S PLAN TO ARM THE FAP MAY FIZZLE THIS
YEAR, JUST AS IT DID LAST YEAR. THERE ARE ALREADY NUMEROUS
ARMED SERVICES IN KINSHASA, WITH SEVERAL TYPES OF POLICE AND
MILITARY FORCES ROAMING THE STREETS. MOREOVER, IT IS
DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THAT EVEN PRESIDENT KABILA WOULD GIVE
WEAPONS TO PLAIN-CLOTHED CIVILIANS WITH AN AMBIGUOUS MANDATE.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FAP CAN MOST LIKELY BE VIEWED AS A
PR MOVE INTENDED TO DEMONSTRATE RESPONSIVENESS TO THE
INCREASE IN ATTACKS BY SOLDIERS AGAINST CIVILIANS.



5. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: IF KABILA DOES GO THROUGH WITH
PLANS TO ARM THE FAP, KINSHASA RESIDENTS WILL NO DOUBT
WITNESS JURISDICTIONAL BATTLES BETWEEN THE NEWLY-ARMED
CIVILIANS AND THE POLICE. AT THE END OF THE DAY, ANOTHER
"SECURITY SERVICE" WON'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF NON-PAYMENT OF
SALARIES AND THE DISASTROUS ECONOMIC SITUATION IN KINSHASA.
END COMMENT.
SWING