UGANDAN CONSUL GENERAL DISCUSSES THE LRA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001612

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINS MOPS PINR PHUM UG SU
SUBJECT: UGANDAN CONSUL GENERAL DISCUSSES THE LRA


KHARTOUM 00001612 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: CGJ R. Whitehead, Reason: Section 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: On June 27, CG met with newly arrived
Ugandan Consul General, Ambassador Busho Ndinyenka. The
Ugandan CG complained Vice President Riek Machar continued to
overplay his hand by allowing LRA fighters to move back onto
Sudanese soil and by continuing to inflate the size of the
LRA force. He said that the Government of Uganda (GOU)
harbors reservations about what good will come of the
mediation effort, based on past failures to get Kony to talk
in good faith, but a delegation will soon come to Juba.
(Note: This message was delayed due to technical
difficulties in Juba; we are sending it in for the record.
End note.) End summary.

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Machar Role Not to GOU Liking
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2. (C) Ndinyenka complained that Riek Machar has continues to
overplay his hand as self-designated mediator between the GOU
and LRA. Ndinyenka said that there is widespread unhappiness
in Kampala about Machar,s actions, especially the delivery
of large quantities of food and money to Kony, and his
repeated recorded assurances to Kony that &the SPLM has no
problem with the LRA.8 The Ugandan CG added that Ugandan
Popular Defense Force (UPDF) troops stationed near Yei have
confirmed that Machar has allowed 300 LRA fighters to move
back into Sudan near Yambio, where they are protected by SPLA
forces. Ndinyenka said that Machar continues to claim that
Kony has 1,000 LRA fighters with him, when the actual number
is closer to 400, of which 100 remain in Garamba National
Park in the DRC, cultivating gardens.


3. (C) The Ugandan CG said that Machar has taken an overly
public approach to the mediation, including a pre-arranged
press ambush after his Ndinyenka,s initial meeting with
Machar. When Machar attempted to bring in a television crew
to film the meeting, Ndinyenka refused to begin discussions
until they left. He said that he told Machar that the GOU
wants to approach the mediation discreetly and avoid a press
circus. Machar agreed, but when the two left Machar,s
office, twenty journalists were waiting outside, and Machar
spoke at length about the latest developments.

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The GOU Approach
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4. (C) Ndinyenka said that the GOU would name a delegation at
the sub-ministerial level that would include the Foreign
Ministry, External Security, and the UPDF. He would
presumably head this group, which would come to Juba to meet
with the LRA delegation. He stressed that they would not
meet with any of the five senior LFA officials under ICC
indictment, and had so informed Machar. The Ugandans hope to
be able to offer a general amnesty to the LRA rank and file
and induce them to disarm and return home. He observed that
the LRA delegation was in fact not LRA ) most were
Europe-based Acholis who had never set foot in an LRA camp.
He cautioned that the mediation had to be with the LRA, and
not become a GOU-Acholi negotiation.


5. (C) Ndinyenka expressed skepticism that the mediation
effort would succeed, given past experience in trying to
negotiate with Kony. Ndinyenka described his role in the
2001 Carter Center initiative to resolve the LRA problem.
Kony met with a woman from the Carter Center and then
complained he had been demeaned because his interlocutor was
a female. When a second individual came to Juba from
Atlanta, a man, Kony flatly stated that he would shoot him if
he came near Kony,s camp. Ndinyenka said that Kony had
simply walked away from other attempted negotiations; based
on Kony,s record, Ndinyenka was dubious. He said that he
would meet with Salva Kiir on June 28 to discuss some of the
GOU,s concerns and offered to share with CG Kiir,s response.

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Others in GoSS Agree
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6. (C) Ndinyenka is not alone in his reservations about the
LRA mediation effort. Regional Cooperation Under Secretary
(and acting minister) Cirino Hiteng told CG that, in his
view, the entire affair had been badly handled, especially
the videotape of Machar handing Kony a packet of cash. SPLA
Chief of Staff Oyai Deng was even more dismissive, stating
flatly in one meeting that mediation &would not work8 and
that when it failed, military force would be required.


KHARTOUM 00001612 002.2 OF 002


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Biodata
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7. (C) Ndinyenka said that he is a career diplomat and a
former ambassador. He came to Kampala with Museveni in 1986,
and has been involved in a number of negotiations, including
the Lusaka Peace Process for DRC. He currently stays in a
room at the Juba Hotel, but has been told that he must vacate
within a month when the Kuwaitis begin razing the dilapidated
but stately complex, one of the most historic sites in Juba,
to make way for a new hotel. The Ugandans had hoped to share
a renovated building with the Kenyans until the building,s
owner insisted on doubling the agreed monthly price. The
meeting took place on a pair of plastic chairs under a mango
tree.
HUME