FARDC: LRA FORCES BELIEVED NO LONGER IN DRC;

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 001784

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO MOPS CG
SUBJECT: FARDC: LRA FORCES BELIEVED NO LONGER IN DRC;
MILITARY DEPLOYMENTS CONTINUE

REF: KINSHASA 1770

Classified By: PolOff CBrown, reasons 1.4 b/d.


1. (C) MONUC Political Officer Oleg Sepelev briefed PolOff
October 26 regarding the presence of Lord's Resistance Army
forces in the DRC, as well as recent reactions by the Armed
Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and
Ugandan People's Defense Forces (UPDF) to the LRA's
activities. Sepelev said the FARDC and UPDF, after joint
consultations October 25, reportedly agreed that LRA forces
are not in the DRC and are now believed to be in southern
Sudan.


2. (C) Sepelev said MONUC officials have been told by
Ugandans they are satisfied with recent FARDC troop
deployments (reftel) taken to counter the LRA's reported
presence in the DRC. In addition, Uganda has dropped its
previous request to have its own forces track the LRA on DRC
territory, a proposal which had been firmly rejected by the
FARDC. Sepelev characterized the relations between Uganda and
DRC as "normalized" on the LRA issue, at least for the time
being.


3. (C) As reported in reftel, MONUC is presently planning a
joint operation with the FARDC to deal with any remaining
problems with the LRA. MONUC is sending two companies to Aba
to support the FARDC. Sepelev said MONUC is now also
pressuring the FARDC to deploy some of its own troops from
Aba to the Garamba Park area, where LRA forces have been
known to operate in the past.


4. (C) MONUC Chief of Operations Lt. Col. Mamadou Sane told
PolOff that in order to conduct adequate operations against
any LRA forces found in the DRC, MONUC must continue to
provide logistical and technical assistance to the FARDC.
Sane said FARDC troops are far from being well trained to
deal with the LRA and could not conduct such operations
independently.


5. (C) Comment. Sepelev and Sane both appeared sincere in
their conviction that the LRA had left DRC territory,
repeatedly telling PolOff that both the FARDC and the UPDF
were unequivocal in that belief. Moreover, both MONUC
officials expressed enthusiasm with what appears to be a new
sense of cooperation and normalization between the two
countries, particularly given the level of tension between
them during the past few weeks. Any re-entry of the LRA into
the DRC (and failure of the FARDC to counter those forces)
will certainly strain GDRC-GOU relations. End Comment.
MEECE