FDLR PRES. PLANNING VISIT TO SOUTH KIVU

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 000764 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO CG SUBJECT: FDLR PRES. PLANNING VISIT TO SOUTH KIVU REF: KINSHASA 735 Classified By: Poloff Meghan Moore for Reasons 1.4 B and D ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. FDLR President Dr. Ignace Murwanashyaka is scheduled to leave Kinshasa for the Kivus in the next few days to meet with field commanders. Although he called on the international community to establish a 'Follow Up Committee,' he did not provide concrete 'next steps' to implement the San'Egidio brokered plan for the return of FDLR members and their families to Rwanda, and seemed out of touch with realities both in eastern Congo and Western capitals. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) During MONUC's weekly press briefing May 4, FDLR President Dr. Ignace Murwanashyaka called on the international community, San'Egidio and the governments of Rwanda and the DRC to help facilitate the FDLR's return to Rwanda, requested the establishment of a formal 'Follow Up Committee,' and said the FDLR would not be intimidated by attempts to 'torpedo' the process. He also condemned 'terrorists' operating in Walungu, called for an investigation into their behavior, and suggested MONUC attack them. Journalists did not ask Ambassador Antoine Ghonda, who sat next to Murwanashyaka throughout the event, any questions. Progress? -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Murwanashyaka defined the FDLR as a political/military movement established in May 2000 whose members were too young (25-27) to have participated in the genocide. He said the FDLR was 'demonized' by 'liars' who said its members were Interahamwe or ex-FAR or confused them with other 'terrorist' elements, like Rastas. Murwanashyaka refused to provide any troop number estimates, and insisted that the vast majority of FDLR soldiers were well-disciplined, co-existed peacefully with their Congolese neighbors, and did not kill or rape. (Note. Although the FDLR contains many members who did not participate in the genocide, it also contains a significant number of ex-FAR, Interahamwe, and is widely considered to be a re-configured ALIR. The FDLR regularly commits human rights violations. End note.) ¶4. (C) The FDLR President said the FDLR's return to Rwanda had been delayed because a 'Follow Up Committee' had not been established and it was taking time to contact field commanders. He planned to travel to the Kivus to meet with FDLR commanders, and ask troops to remain disciplined. Murwanashyaka was unable to answer how he would convince FDLR members to return to Rwanda. After the press conference, MONUC DDRRR Chief Peter Swarbrick told poloff he would accompany Murwanashyaka to the Kivus. When pressed, Swarbrick admitted that although Murwanashyaka may not be a very credible interlocutor, he was the only option. Swarbrick added he was being sent with the FDLR President to get a real sense of whether the San'Egidio brokered plan could get FDLR members and their families to return to Rwanda before MONUC starts military action against the FDLR. Conditions? -------------- ¶5. (SBU) On the one hand, Murwanashyaka asserted that the FDLR had renounced violence and did not require special conditions to return to Rwanda. On the other, he called for the 'Follow Up Committee,' which he was optimistic would be established soon, vigorously complained about gacaca, asked for political space for the FDLR to operate as a political party, and said Rwandans would not remain victims of a dictator forever. Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) The longer Murwanashyaka spoke, the less credible he became. Although the Professor may be well-meaning, he spent the past 14 years in Europe, and did not appear to have a good sense of what was going on in eastern Congo, a realistic plan for convincing FDLR members to go home, or an understanding of larger political realities--most importantly that the international community is unlikely to establish a 'Follow Up Committee,' or push Rwanda to accept the FDLR as a political party. That said, we agree with MONUC's assessment that although flawed, Murwanashyaka is still the best, if not only, route to try to facilitate a non-military solution to the FDLR problem. DOUGHERTY