NEW ITURI COMMISSIONER: "KINSHASA IS NOT SERIOUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 001501

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2014
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINS PREL CG
SUBJECT: NEW ITURI COMMISSIONER: "KINSHASA IS NOT SERIOUS
ABOUT ITURI"

REF: KINSHASA 01284

Classified By: Poloff Gons Nachman for Reasons 1.5 B and D


1. (C) Summary. Ituri District Commissioner questions GDRC
commitment to new Ituri administration. She asserts that
despite repeated pleas, Kinshasa has yet to provide her with
a salary or with the basic resources necessary for her
administration to function. End Summary.

Good Intentions Insufficient Resources
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2. (C) Poloff met with new Ituri District Commissioner
Petronille Vaweka, on August 6 to discuss her first few weeks
as the new head of Ituri's administration (reftel). Vaweka
said that she has yet to receive a salary from the national
government and her administration lacks the basic resources
necessary to function. She has asked the GDRC multiple times
to provide her with financial support to begin her work, but
has not seen any concrete action. In her own words "Kinshasa
is not serious about Ituri".


3. (C) Vaweka's new administration lacks basic items such as
office supplies, furniture, fuel for transportation and
communications equipment. Only the district administrators of
Mahagi and Mamabasa have been deployed to their respective
areas. Those of Aru, Irumu, and Njugu currently lack the
means and the security to assume their new posts. Vaweka
feels that Ituri has substantial economic potential to help
itself, the Orientale Province and the DRC, but it first
needs basic support from the national government to organize
its affairs.


4. (C) Vaweka indicated that she was also concerned about her
personal safety, as she lacked any type of protection in an
area where she could be targeted by individuals who oppose
her administration. She noted that she elected to keep her
family in Kinshasa due to the lack of security in Bunia.
Vaweka would like to see the integrated FARDC brigade and a
new police unit deployed to Ituri to increase security, but
not without appropriate logistical support and a government
commitment to pay their salaries. She said that deployment of
a security force without appropriate support could turn them
into another armed group. She feels that the government has
the resources to support Ituri but lacks the will to use them.


Demobilization Plan not Moving Forward
--------------


5. (C) Vaweka said that the disarmament and demobilization
plan for Ituri (DDR) is supposed to start on September 2nd.
However, she is skeptical about the possible success of DDR
without substantial government involvement. Currently, her
civilian administration lacks the resources to support or
even follow DDR plans around the district. Additionally,
armed militias have expressed an unwillingness to disarm in
the absence of a concise mechanism to provide them protection
once they have given up their arms. At this point, such a
mechanism does not exist and the GDRC has not taken any steps
to develop one.

Comment
--------------


6. (C) Vaweka is one of those rare public officials in the
Congo who has the integrity, determination, and courage to
make a difference, even when faced with substantial
obstacles. However, it will be very difficult for her to be
an effective administrator in Ituri without initial support
from the national government. The GDRC has sent several
inter-ministerial delegations to Ituri to express government
support for the region. Yet as Vaweka said "it is time for
Kinshasa to stop making promises and to take concrete actions
to support the recovery and reintegration of Ituri into the
national economy."


MEECE