GDRC ALLOWS CONGOLESE REFUGEES TO RETURN TO UVIRA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001884

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2014
TAGS: PREF PHUM PINS KPKO CG UNHCR
SUBJECT: GDRC ALLOWS CONGOLESE REFUGEES TO RETURN TO UVIRA

REF: KINSHASA 1870

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


1. (C) Summary. A group of over 1600 Congolese refugees,
including over 500 Banyamulenge, crossed the Burundian border
into the DRC and arrived at the Uvira transit center October

12. Many of these refugees had waited at the border since
October 6 as a GDRC interministerial delegation traveled to
the area to negotiate their repatriation. This delegation
witnessed firsthand violent protests against the return of
Banyamulenge refugees orchestrated by local military and
political actors. Surprisingly the GDRC has done a good job
of handling this tense situation possibly motivated by the
desire to avoid a reprise of the Gatumba massacre, albeit on
Congolese soil. End Summary.

Mixed Group of Refugees Waits for Days at DRC-Burundi Border
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2. (U) A group of over 500 Banyamulenge refugees attempting
to return home arrived at the DRC-Burundi border October 6.
They were later joined by over 1000 additional refugees from
other South Kivu ethnic groups including Bafulero and
Babembe. The border remained closed, however, as a Congolese
government delegation prepared to travel from Kinshasa to
Uvira on October 8 to coordinate the refugees' return.


3. (C) Upon arrival in Uvira on October 8, the Congolese
delegation (the Vice-Minister of Interior, the Vice-Minister
of Defense for Reintegration, and an advisor to President
Kabila) were met by demonstrators who expressed opposition to
the return of the refugees. According to MONUC and UNHCR
sources, South Kivu local officials, Mai Mai soldiers under
commander Nakabaka and members of Congolese intelligence
agencies in Uvira mobilized opposition to the return of
refugees supported by the GDRC delegation.


4. (U) On October 9 demonstrators erected barricades on the
road leading from Uvira to the Burundi border to prevent the
repatriation of the refugees. They also threw rocks at MONUC
vehicles and at those of other UN agencies in Uvira. MONUC
had to use tear gas and fire in the air to disperse the
crowd. Some of the demonstrators later claimed that an
11-year old girl had been killed by MONUC during the
demonstration. MONUC categorically denied this allegation.
Newspapers in Kinshasa, however, reported October 12 that
demonstrators were now saying that the victim was actually a
15-year old boy. (Comment: Other humanitarian agencies in
South Kivu including UNHCR have also dismissed this
allegation as baseless. End Comment.)

Refugees are Finally Allowed to Enter the DRC
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5. (U) The GDRC finally allowed the refugees to cross the
border October 11, but decided to keep them on the outskirts
of Uvira for registration and screening, which proceeded
without any incidents. MONUC peacekeepers removed the road
barriers leading to Uvira the previous night to prepare for
the transfer. UNHCR officials in South Kivu confirmed October
12 that a convoy of several trucks transporting 1619 refugees
arrived without any incident at the MONUC transit center in
Uvira. Various UN agencies, including UNHCR, UNICEF, and OCHA
along with NGOs present in Uvira provided humanitarian
assistance to the refugees.


6. (C) The British Ambassador told Charge October 11 that he
had underscored to President Kabila the importance of
addressing the refugee situation in Uvira. Kabila replied
that he had his advisor and the Vice-Minister of Interior on
the ground and that they were following the situation
closely. SRSG Swing reportedly talked to President Kabila as
well on October 10. (Comment: Kabila appears to have made the
right decision prior to these interventions as a GDRC
delegation had already arrived in Uvira October 8 to
coordinate the safe repatriation of these refugees. End
Comment.)

Over 25,000 Congolese Refugees Remain in Burundi
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7. (U) According to UNHCR Bukavu, over 25,000 Congolese
refugees remain in Burundi. Most of these are part of an
older caseload who have been in the country for a long time.
Out of the approximately 7,000 refugees who entered Burundi
in June and July 2004, over 3,000 have already returned to
the DRC, including most of the Banyamulenge. The remaining
refugees have settled in camps inside Burundi and in the city
of Bujumbura.

Comment
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8. (SBU) The GDRC seems to have defused - at least for now-
the tense and dangerous situation that developed in Uvira.
After witnessing firsthand the manipulation of refugee
returns by hard-line elements in South Kivu, it remains to be
seen what action, if any, Kinshasa will take against military
and political actors who have fostered intolerance and
violence against the Banyamulenge population in South Kivu.
Kinshasa seems seized with the importance of controlling the
local situation possibly motivated in part by a desire to
avoid a reprise of the Gatumba massacre, albeit in DRC. It
seems clear, however, that local officials were not alone in
steering up trouble. Kinshasa will therefore have to put its
own house in order to ensure that initially positive steps
towards ethnic reconciliation such as the proposed
nationality law can actually be effective.
DOUGHERTY