SITREP 19: CIAT MEETING WITH PRESIDENT KABILA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001334 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2016 TAGS: PGOV ASEC CASC KPKO CG SUBJECT: SITREP 19: CIAT MEETING WITH PRESIDENT KABILA (8/22 1830 LOCAL TIME) REF: KINSHASA 1333 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: PolOff CBrown, reasons 1.4 b/d. ¶1. (C) The Ambassador called DCM from his residence at 1350 local time to report that the noon CIAT meeting with President Kabila had ended. All members of CIAT were present except for the representatives of the African Union, Angola, South Africa, and Zambia. Among the Congolese participants, aside from President Kabila, were Minister of Defense Adolphe Onusumba (a member of the RCD party),Ambassador-at-Large Antoine Ghonda, political adviser Marcellin Cishambo, chief of staff She Okitundu, security adviser Samba Kaputo, and personal secretary Kikaya bin Karubi. Also present at the meeting were the Congolese Police Inspector General, military adviser General Kalumie, plus one other FARDC official. ¶2. (C) SRSG Swing said the immediate priority was to arrive at an agreement for the withdrawal of forces and to restore security immediately to Kinshasa. Swing added that EUFOR was ready to reinforce MONUC peacekeepers in the capital, but that "only two people" (Bemba and Kabila) could resolve the current situation. Swing added that there will be a time for Congolese officials to discuss and determine who was responsible for the violence of the past two days, but now is not that time. The electoral process, he said, is the only way forward and the only way to ensure peace in the DRC. ¶3. (C) A meeting of government and MLC military representatives had been scheduled for 1000 local time August ¶22. According to SRSG Swing, the only representative to arrive for the meeting was a major from the MLC. The meeting was subsequently rescheduled for 1430 local time at MONUC headquarters. Kabila said Onusumba, the Police Inspector General, and FARDC Chief of Staff General Kisempia would be attending the meeting. It is unknown who will be representing the MLC side. MONUC and EUFOR officials are also to take part. Kabila said he supports the meeting and added that he thought an agreement on the withdrawal of forces needs to be the objective for the participants. Swing agreed, underscoring the importance of finding a solution during the 1430 meeting, saying all sides appeared to be expressing a willingness to find a way out of the current situation. ¶4. (C) Minister of Defense Onusumba said he had spoken August 22 with President Kabila and Vice Presidents Bemba and Azarias Ruberwa. As a way forward from the current situation, Onusumba suggested that a meeting of the President and the DRC's four transitional Vice Presidents, together with CIAT ambassadors, be held to find an appropriate solution to end the fighting in Kinshasa. No decision was immediately taken on the recommendation. ¶5. (C) Kaputo agreed that it is important for MLC and government troops to withdraw to their respective posts to provide sufficient space for MONUC and EUFOR to operate and to establish security in downtown Kinshasa. Several presidential advisers, however, questioned the MLC's motives and willingness to pull back its forces. Kaputo cited an MLC attack on Makala prison as an apparent indication of the MLC's intentions to initiate violence. The Police Inspector General and General Kalumie both said the attacks had been Bemba's fault. Ghonda asked why no one has apparently heard what Bemba is ready to agree to in terms of a cease-fire or pull-back of troops. ¶6. (C) SRSG Swing and the CIAT ambassadors agreed that at the very least, the focus of future discussions must be removing and disengaging Congolese troops from the Boulevard 30 Juin area and to allow MONUC and EUFOR to take up positions there. ¶7. (C) Kabila said the solution is for both sides to withdraw, but the answer to ending the violence was not just a question of establishing a cease-fire. The president asked pointedly whether someone would be able to guarantee that Bemba would indeed withdraw his forces. In any case, Kabila said a withdrawal of troops must take place immediately. The president added he would like to see Kinshasa return to normal tomorrow. Kabila said that he wants to go to a second round of elections, and claimed that no one has worked harder than he to get to that point. He also said he wanted the runoff presidential election as soon as possible without any bureaucratic delays. (Comment: This was a likely allusion to the recent, unrealistic proposal from presidential officials to advance the date of the second round of elections to September from the current date of October 29. End comment.) KINSHASA 00001334 002 OF 002 ¶8. (C) President Kabila criticized MONUC and the CIAT for not taking a more proactive role in preventing the violence. He referred directly to the experience in Rwanda, during which he claims the UN did nothing in advance to stop the genocide there. He noted that tensions have been rising for months in Kinshasa with various hate speech and other messages broadcast by other political candidates (including Bemba), with no reaction from CIAT. ¶9. (C) Kabila said that there would be time for an inquiry later, but that a withdrawal of troops must take place immediately. He said he had spoken with Ruberwa and Bemba earlier in the morning, adding that he had the impression that Bemba was "not in control of his troops." Saying he regretted what happened on August 21, he nevertheless added that a later inquiry would show who bore responsibility fore recent violence. For now, however, he said he wanted "to go forward." ¶10. (C) As of 1800 local time, the meeting between military representatives was still taking place at MONUC headquarters. MEECE