HAITIAN NATIONAL POLICE POISED TO TACKLE REBEL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT AU PRINCE 000871

SIPDIS

WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPT FOR DS/IP/WHA
DS/DSS/ITA
DSERCC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2014
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC HA
SUBJECT: HAITIAN NATIONAL POLICE POISED TO TACKLE REBEL
VIOLENCE

REF: A. PAP 689


B. PAP 688

Classified By: Ambassador James B. Foley, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)


1. (C) Summary: Following another attack against his officers
on March 27, Haitian National Police (HNP) Director General
(DG) Leon Charles told Ambassador on March 29 that the HNP
was preparing to undertake three significant operations in
the coming days to root out violent gang leaders and their
ex-FADH counterparts. Charles underscored, however, that the
HNP was still outgunned by the heavily armed gangs, and
requested urgent attention to the weapons license request
still under review by the USG. The DG also confirmed plans
for integrating 200 ex-FADH into the upcoming 17th training
class for the HNP and repeated his assurance that these
recruits would be treated the same as all the other trainees.
The meeting finished at the same time a planned pro-Lavalas
protest got underway downtown under the watchful eye of both
the UN and the HNP. End summary.


2. (C) Charles explained that on the night of March 27,
several heavily armed men associated with Gren Sonnen's gang
attacked the house of the Director of Police for the West
Department (DDO) near Delmas 33. The HNP sent officers to the
scene to respond at which point a firefight between the HNP
and gang members ensued. At that moment, another vehicle
carrying 3 police officers, a private security guard and a
civilian driver entered the crossfire near the gang members.
One of the police officers and the two civilians were killed.
Later that night, criminal gangs reportedly killed two
individuals at the port area as well.


3. (C) The Delmas 33 attack is the latest in a string of
violent incidents against the police and other official
outposts of the IGOH allegedly perpetrated by heavily armed
outlaws associated with renegade ex-FADH leader Ravix
Remissainthe, and gang leaders Sonnen and Dred Wilme. On
March 25, a grenade was thrown at the Provisional Election
Council (CEP) headquarters in the same Delmas neighborhood,
and on March 22 a bodyguard for the Minister of Justice was
killed. Sonnen announced on the radio March 29 that he was on
a "man hunt" for official members of the IGOH, while Ravix
has called his followers in the Central Plateau to wage a
"guerrilla war" against the HNP and MINUSTAH. Post has noted
on many occasions the growing alliance between Ravix and
Port-au-Prince gang leaders.


4. (C) Charles told the Ambassador that the attacks show the
armed opposition is desperate and has nowhere left to hide.
He estimated that there is a core group of only 15 bandits
associated with most of the incidents, but that they were
much better armed (with M-14s in particular) than the HNP.
Charles explained that Sonnen used to be an informant at the
Delmas 33 police station under the Aristide government and
knows very well how to recognize weakness and the potential
for an easy attack. He suggested that all three (Wilme, Ravix
and Sonnen) sustain their ranks with a constant inflow of
cash from drug trafficking and carjacking.


5. (C) The HNP has planned three strategies for targeting
these individuals. First, Charles has replaced the command at
the Delmas 33 with a stronger cadre of officers, though he
admitted the district still lacked the proper weapons to face
off against Sonnen's gang. (Note: MINUSTAH has also stepped
up foot patrols in the Delmas 33 area and is providing round
the clock security for the CEP. End note). The Ambassador
assured Charles post would follow up on the IGOH weapons
order waiver request forwarded to the Department March 16.


6. (C) Second, Charles described a joint MINUSTAH/HNP
operation in Cite Soleil to control access into and out of
the area for two weeks beginning March 31. The mission will
establish checkpoints and provide a base for smaller
operations inside the dense slum area to try to root out gang
leaders, particularly Dred Wilme, providing a platform for
humanitarian projects to begin flowing into the neighborhood
once again. Third, Charles also confirmed MINUSTAH, CIVPOL
and the HNP have established a special team to target the
most wanted individuals. He said Special Intelligence Unit
(SIU) Director Michael Lucius was assisting along with ten
HNP officers detailed to the team.


7. (C) Charles confirmed once again the same information
regarding the integration of ex-soldiers into the HNP he gave
the Charge March 15 (PAP 688). He said a list of 450 ex-FADH
had been identified by the Bureau de Gestion, from which
Charles was in the process of selecting 200 candidates to
join the 17th class of recruits slated to begin training in
April. Charles said that the recently demobilized ex-soldiers
from Cap Haitien (ref B) were not part of this group and
would not integrate into the HNP. It was Charles'
understanding, he said, that the 200 ex-FADH in the 17th
class would be the last group of former military integrated
into the HNP this year. He added that he planned to bring the
ex-FADH from the 15th class who left early back to the
Academy to complete their training in April. Charles also
denied that the ex-FADH in the 15th class had been deployed
to HNP swat units, and assured that they had instead been
positioned at several sub-stations throughout the country.


8. (C) Charles said the 450 potential ex-FADH recruits had
already taken a written test and a physical exam and were
awaiting the results of their lab tests. He assured the
Ambassador that the tests given to the ex-FADH recruits in
March were the "same type" as the exams given last summer to
civilian recruits. Ambassador Foley explained that it was
imperative for the USG to be able to verify that the testing
and training were totally legitimate in every possible way,
and asked Charles to give the ex-FADH recruits last summer's
test as well. Charles said he would meet with the Police
Academy Director Maxime and OAS Vetting Program Director Guy
Magny to discuss the possibility. Charles also downplayed
rumors that other countries (France, Mexico, Chile) would
contribute significantly to HNP training, saying these ideas
"were a dream." The Ambassador repeated that the U.S.
welcomed assistance from other countries as long as all the
HNP recruits received the same training.


9. (C) Charles worried that others in the IGOH had made
unrealistic promises to the ex-FADH about jobs in the HNP in
order to convince them to demobilize. He fretted that the Cap
Haitien group set an example that others may follow, and
indicated the IGOH could have over 1,000 former soldiers
looking for jobs soon, including the 235 from Cap Haitien;
300 from Ouanaminthe; 200 from the Central Plateau; 150 from
Les Cayes; 100 from Arcahaie, and 80 from St. Marc.
Ambassador explained that the USG was willing to contribute
$3 million to the DDR process but could not release the funds
until the IGOH concluded an agreement with the UN on an
acceptable DDR strategy and program.


10. (C) The Ambassador finished by reminding Charles to
remain vigilant on human rights abuses by the HNP. Ambassador
acknowledged that there were elements, both Lavalas and
ex-FADH, disguising themselves as police and committing
abuses. Nonetheless, he said, the HNP must demonstrate that
it is actively investigating allegations of human rights
abuse in a very public way, releasing the results quickly and
transparently and prosecuting officers who are found to be
guilty of abuse. Charles responded that the best way to guard
against human rights abuses was to increase joint operations
with CIVPOL. He said that CIVPOL's co-location program with
the HNP would provide the oversight and reporting needed to
properly monitor human rights allegations. Ambassador
promised to engage CIVPOL Commissioner Dave Beer and others
in MINUSTAH to accelerate the co-location program. He also
strongly encouraged Charles to change HNP uniforms and badges
in an effort to differentiate legitimate HNP from
impersonators. Charles welcomed proposals to create more
secure identification and more visible badges but seemed
reluctant to modify the HNP uniform. We will continue to
press Charles on the need to clearly distinguish bonafide HNP
officers from the impostors.


11. (C) Comment: It is encouraging to see the HNP and
MINUSTAH on the same page regarding joint operations in
Delmas, Cite Soleil and the special unit designed to track
down criminal leaders such as Ravix, Sonnen and Wilme.
MINUSTAH and the HNP are on the spot now that both the
chimere and ex-FADH camps have declared guerrilla war against
the HNP, IGOH and even the UN. As the meeting with Charles
adjourned, Sonnen's gang was ransacking the area around
Delmas 33 once again. The capture of just a handful of these
criminal leaders would provide the HNP and MINUSTAH with a
much-needed victory and open the political space
significantly for elections. Unfortunately the HNP remains
outgunned and is still struggling to co-locate with CIVPOL.
The imminent arrival of USG-provided equipment (vehicles,
supplies, computers and more) is welcome, but we should aim
to expedite the weapons waiver and U.S. contribution to the
joint-station program to get cooperation moving. Charles is
the latest to confirm the figure of 200 ex-FADH for the 17th
class, but this promise, along with our reminders to provide
equal treatment of ex-FADH recruits, will require continued
vigilance on our part. End comment.

FOLEY