ITURI UPDATE: DEMOBILIZATION DEADLINE PASSES; MORE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001145 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2016 TAGS: PGOV KPKO CG SUBJECT: ITURI UPDATE: DEMOBILIZATION DEADLINE PASSES; MORE THAN 3,500 MILITIAS SURRENDER REF: A. KINSHASA 1091 ¶B. KINSHASA 1104 Classified By: PolOff CBrown, reasons 1.4 b/d. ¶1. (C) Summary: More than 3,500 militia members have voluntarily surrendered in Ituri in the District's latest round of demobilization. Although the deadline for surrendering passed July 15, small numbers of militia members continue to turn in their weapons and join demobilization programs. Although not yet officially announced, Congolese officials in charge of demobilization efforts say it is likely the programs will be extended after the country's July 30 elections. Logistical problems persist, however, in providing ex-combatants with kits and security payments, creating a growing possibility for unrest in Ituri from discontented former militia members. End summary. ¶2. (C) The latest round of militia demobilization and community reinsertion (DCR) in the DRC's northeastern Ituri District ended July 15, after MONUC and Congolese military officials extended the program's original June 30 deadline to accommodate the number of surrendering militia members. According to MONUC statistics, as of July 15 3,571 militia members had voluntarily turned in their weapons and entered the DCR program. In addition, officials have collected more than 2,100 individual weapons and nearly 215,000 rounds of ammunition. MONUC officials said some militia members are continuing to surrender after the July 15 deadline, and those who do will still be allowed to participate in the demobilization efforts. Several officials with CONADER (the Congolese agency in charge of demobilization) have indicated the DCR program will likely continue after the country's first round of presidential and legislative elections on July ¶30. CONADER has not, however, officially declared an extension. ¶3. (C) Surrendering militia members have come from nearly all of Ituri's main armed groups. As reported ref A, the majority of these militia members come from the ranks of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC),the Party for Unity and Safeguarding of the Integrity of Congo (PUSIC),and the People's Armed Forces of Congo (FAPC). In the last two weeks, however, MONUC reports that many members of Peter Karim's Front for National Integration (FNI) and Cobra Matata's Patriotic Force for Resistance in Ituri (FRPI) have surrendered as well. MONUC officials said they believe the increase in FNI militia members surrendering is due largely to the release of seven MONUC peacekeepers (ref B). More FNI surrenders are thus expected as a result of the negotiations between Karim and the GDRC. (Note: Details on these negotiations and offers to integrate Karim into the Congolese army will be reported septel. End note.) CONADER's representative in Aru, Pascal Mulenga, reported that his agency is planning to relocate its offices in Aru to Ariwara (approximately 22 miles north) in order to disarm several dozen ex-combatants from the FAPC who lack means to travel to Aru. ¶4. (C) Less than half of all surrendered militia members have completed the demobilization program. As of July 15, the Bunia transit site has trained 1,394 adult militia members, including 42 women. At present, 429 ex-militia members (21 of whom are women) are undergoing the three-day orientation and registration process in Bunia. Meanwhile, demobilization officials have identified and turned over 117 children (including 13 girls) to the NGO Save the Children since DCR began in June. MONUC reports that all demobilized militia members -- 963 in all -- have chosen community reintegration after their three days of training in Bunia. ¶5. (C) While demobilization efforts in Bunia have been relatively successful, logistical problems continue to plague DCR sites elsewhere in Ituri. For example, the transit site at Nizi (about 13 miles north of Bunia) has approximately 2,000 surrendered militia waiting to enter the DCR program. As of July 14, around 200 militia members had completed the three-day orientation program, leaving some 1,700 ex-combatants still waiting for entry. CONADER officials have blamed the delays on problems in delivering materials to the region, including payments and welcome kits, and on malfunctioning equipment needed to register ex-combatants. ¶6. (C) MONUC and CONADER officials said continuing delays in processing ex-combatants increase the potential for unrest before the July 30 elections. MONUC has reports from several KINSHASA 00001145 002 OF 002 civilians and police officials that incidents of robberies in Bunia -- likely due to the increased number of ex-militia members in the town -- have gone up in the last two weeks. MONUC officials in particular said the longer ex-combatants have to wait to go through transit sites, the more likely the security situation will deteriorate. ¶7. (C) Comment: CONADER's inability to demobilize and process these militia members in a timely manner provides the potential for greater unrest in Ituri before the country's elections. While the situation is relatively calm at the moment, if CONADER does not finish training and reinserting the majority of these ex-combatants in the next two weeks, these disaffected militia members could use the elections as an excuse to cause some measure of civil disorder. The tremendous number of militia members who have surrendered voluntarily, though, demonstrates that Iturians are ready to put an end to the violence that has disrupted the region for years. Ultimately, the success of the DCR program will depend not just on CONADER, but on the willingness and ability of the GDRC and its international partners to provide economic opportunities to ex-combatants, who would otherwise return to their militias to survive. End comment. MEECE