ITURI MILITIA LEADERS AWARDED RANK OF COLONEL IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001567 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2016 TAGS: PGOV KPKO CG SUBJECT: ITURI MILITIA LEADERS AWARDED RANK OF COLONEL IN DRC MILITARY REF: A. KINSHASA 1165 ¶B. KINSHASA 1200 Classified By: PolOff CBrown, reasons 1.4 b/d. ¶1. (C) Summary: Ituri militia leaders Peter Karim of the Front for National Integration (FNI) and Mathieu Ngonjolo of the Congolese Revolutionary Movement (MRC) will be named as colonels by the GDRC after they agreed earlier this year to surrender their weapons and demobilize their respective militias. Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) Ituri Operations Commander General Mbuayama Nsiona said the GDRC signed the decree authorizing the commissioning October 2, but the ranks have not yet been personally conferred upon Karim and Ngonjolo. General Nsiona said he is still awaiting documents from the Ministries of Justice and Defense authorizing the appointments. Upon receipt of this material, Nsiona said there will be an official commissioning ceremony in Bunia. End summary. ¶2. (C) The granting of officer status to Karim and Ngonjolo comes after several months of stonewalling by the GDRC. Following the release of seven MONUC Nepalese peacekeepers in July in Ituri, Karim signed an accord July 13 with the GDRC agreeing to disband his militia in exchange for, among other things, the position of colonel in the FARDC (ref A) before being integrated into the military. Ngonjolo signed a similar cease-fire agreement in late July before the presidential elections, also demanding the rank of colonel (ref B). The GDRC failed to move on the issue until September 5, when the DRC's Supreme Defense Council authorized the commissioning. ¶3. (C) Renner Onana, the acting head of MONUC's security sector reform division, said the FARDC initially rejected giving Karim and Ngonjolo the rank of colonel because neither controlled the 6,000 troops a colonel in the FARDC would normally command. Karim and Ngonjolo, however, refused to disarm their militia members if they were not given the promised rank. Consequently, as the GDRC stalled on fulfilling this part of the cease-fire agreements, the FNI and MRC began recruiting new members, possibly with the intent of swelling their ranks to attain the 6,000-troop requirement. Onana said the FARDC, seeing that the militia were increasing their recruitment -- which could lead to wider instability in Ituri District -- ultimately decided to waive the troop requirement in order to expedite the 
disarmament process. ¶4. (C) The awarding of the military ranks has produced mixed reactions in Ituri. MONUC's Ituri Brigade Commander General Mahboob Haider Kahn welcomed the decision, saying the move will help resolve the remaining militia problems in Ituri since it will put pressure on other militia leaders to accept disarmament deals with the GDRC. In contrast, acting MONUC-Bunia Head of Office Peter Swarbrick said this agreement is more likely to create other "lunatics" among the existing militia ranks who think they can kill and loot and still be made officers in the FARDC. Godez Mpiana, with the Ituri-based human rights organization Justice Plus, was also critical of the deal. Mpiana said on Voice of America October 11 giving the two militia leaders official positions in the FARDC is "irresponsible" and further supports the culture of impunity. ¶5. (C) Outgoing Defense Minister Adolphe Onusumba attempted to deflect any responsibility for awarding military rank on the two militia leaders onto MONUC. In an interview with the Voice of America October 11, Onusumba said MONUC played a large role in brokering the deal that led to the cease-fire agreement. (Note: The July 13 cease-fire agreement was signed by Karim and the GDRC, in addition to MONUC Military Chief of Staff General Christian Houdet as an observer. It is clearly stated in the text of the agreement that MONUC was present at the meeting solely as a witness and facilitator to bring the two sides together. DSRSG Haile Menkarios, representing MONUC, said during the July 13 meeting MONUC would provide its counsel to both sides in an effort achieve a successful outcome, but that MONUC would remain neutral and impartial throughout the process. End note.) ¶6. (C) Comment: While acceding to Karim's and Ngonjolo's demands to be made colonels, the GDRC has not ensured the complete surrender of these two militias. Both leaders still fear being arrested once they enter military ranks, and will not bring their members in from the bush until they have verified amnesty agreements. Even with such documents in KINSHASA 00001567 002 OF 002 hand, it is unlikely Karim or Ngonjolo will disband and disarm, as neither has demonstrated the willingness or initiative to do so since signing cease-fire accords. Karim in particular will likely try to find excuses to avoid leaving his base in northern Ituri and to continue profiting from illegal trade. The GDRC, meanwhile, has shown little initiative of its own in trying to resolve the Ituri militia problem, out of fear of upsetting the region's delicate security balance during the elections period. It is therefore likely that resolution of the FNI and MRC disarmament will be put off until a new government is installed in December. End comment. DOUGHERTY