Humanitarian Situation in Sake, North Kivu Province

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001839 SIPDIS SIPDIS AIDAC AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA- AFERRARI, ACONVERY, CGOTTSCHALK, MSHIRLEY AID/W FOR DCHA/FFP- TANDERSON, NCOX, TMCRAE AID/W FOR DCHA/OTI- RJENKINS, KHUBER AID/W FOR AFR- KO'DONNELL, JBORNS NAIROBI FOR USAID/OFDA/ARO- JMYER, ADWYER NAIROBI FOR USAID/FFP- DSUTHER, ADEPREZ ROME FOR USUN FODAG- RNEWBERG GENEVA FOR NKYLOH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PHUM PREF KPKO CG SUBJECT: Humanitarian Situation in Sake, North Kivu Province KINSHASA 00001839 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. Summary. Fighting between dissident FARDC troops and FARDC integrated brigades in the Sake area of North Kivu, 27 kilometers east of Goma, forced an estimated 30,000-40,000 residents of that town and neighboring villages to flee towards Goma and Minova beginning Friday, November 24. Five days later, sufficient security had been restored to permit humanitarian actors to assess needs in locations to which IDPs had fled and to visit Sake itself. USAID/OFDA Emergency Disaster Response Coordinator Jay Nash visited North Kivu between November 29 and December 5 to assess the situation. On November 30, distributions of blankets and food to identified IDP groups from Sake in Mugunga and Minova began, though the great majority of IDPs appeared to have fled all the way to Goma and blended in with the Goma population, staying with host families. An estimated two-thirds of the Sake population has now returned, but humanitarian actors are wary of providing assistance in an environment where the population could still be considered to be at high risk of more conflict, and where there are large numbers of potentially predatory. Distributions in two towns west of Rutshuru, north of Goma, begun in response to displacements for related disturbances in the Tongo area, have been temporarily suspended because of a new outbreak of fighting in the region east of Rutshuru near the Ugandan border. UN security has told all UN personnel to wait until further notice before traveling in the area. End Summary. Background ¶2. (U) On Friday, November 24, a Tutsi businessman allegedly suspected of ferrying supplies to members of General Laurent Nkunda's dissident non-integrated, largely Rwandaphone 83rd brigade of the FARDC in the Kichanga area north of Sake was shot and killed by Congolese police in Sake town, reportedly after having violently resisted arrest. A few thousand inhabitants of Sake decided to leave town the same day, fearing the incident would trigger vengeance from Nkunda's troops, though the town was, in principle, protected by the government-loyal 11th integrated brigade. ¶3. (U) On Saturday, November 25, at 4:45 a.m., forces loyal to Nkunda's in the 83rd brigade attacked positions of the 11th brigade in the hills surrounding Sake. The remainder of the Sake population, estimated at between 30,000 and 40,000, began to flee either eastward toward Goma or southward toward Minova (along Lake Kivu). On Sunday morning, November 26, fighting intensified and at 10:30 a.m. the 11th brigade fled toward Goma, leaving Sake, now empty of civilians, guarded only by MONUC forces, who were, at that time, maintaining a neutral position. Outskirts of the town was soon entered by elements of the attacking 83rd brigade. ¶4. (U) On Monday, MONUC retook the area by repelling the dissidents with force, and the 14th integrated brigade of government-loyal FARDC troops was sent to Sake to replace the 11th brigade. By evening, the surrounding hills were also under control of 14th brigade. On Tuesday, November 28, however, there was a new offensive by members of the renegade 83rd brigade on the hills around Sake, but they were again pushed back. ¶5. (U) By Wednesday, November 29th, IDPs who had fled Sake and were now taking shelter in the villages of Mugunga and Minova began sending envoys back to collect belongings and supplies. By Thursday, November 30, about 5% of the population, mostly men, appeared to have started spending the night in Sake. They told OFDA Rep that many of their houses have been looted, in some areas by the occupying 83rd and in other areas by the 14th, who took up residence in people's houses when they arrived. On the road to Minova, OFDA Rep saws many families carrying belongings headed back to Sake as a modest return had clearly started. Returns continued over the weekend and by Monday, December 4, an estimated 60% of the population had already come back. Humanitarian response ¶6. (U) For the first days of the crises, the humanitarian community judged the situation to be too insecure to permit them to travel very far from Goma westward toward Sake. By Tuesday, November 28, however, an initial 800 IDP families had been identified in Mugunga, at roughly the half-way point between Goma and Sake, and representatives of UNOCHA and UNICEF reached Sake itself, finding it completely empty of civilians. Given the relatively small numbers in Mugunga, it was concluded that the majority of the population must have fled from Sake in the other direction toward Minova, south KINSHASA 00001839 002.2 OF 002 of Sake on Lake Kivu. ¶7. (U) Representatives of UNOCHA and UNICEF traveled with a MONUC escort to Minova on Wednesday, but were surprised to find only a few hundred IDP families at that location as well. Although there were some IDPs in all villages between Sake and Minova, most were clearly staying with host families. During a more extensive visit to Minova on Thursday, November 30, OFDA Rep saw relatively few IDPs in towns along the road or in Minova itself. No village gave the impression of being completely inundated by IDPs, and IDPs had not camped out in public buildings, such as schools and churches. As a result of the Minova information, the humanitarians soon concluded that most of the Sake population must have fled to Goma itself and stayed with host families there, though they were not much in evidence. ¶8. (U) On November 30, a distribution of UNICEF-provided blankets and 15-day World Food Program food rations began in Mugunga, where the number of registered IDP families had climbed to 1000. At a meeting of key humanitarian actors the same night, it was decided also to register and arrange similar distributions for the 300-500 IDP families that had been identified in Minova. Plans were also made to assist a reported 2000 IDP families that had fled other activity by the 83rd brigade in the Tongo area, northwest of Goma, and had subsequently arrived in the towns of Kalengera, Rubare and Rutshuru. ¶9. (U) Distributions to the Rubare, Kalengera and Rutshuru IDPs had begun on Tuesday, December 5, when additional IDPs, fleeing a takeover of the towns of Runyoni and Chengero (east of Rutshuru) by other armed elements also believed to be of the Nkunda faction, began arriving. Distributions in the area were discontinued on December 6 when UN security officials banned UN staff travel in the entire Rutshuru region until further notice. The Sake distribution dilemma ¶10. (U) Since the early days of the Sake crisis, the position of the humanitarian community has been to refrain from distributing any assistance to returning IDPs in Sake. The reason is that by providing assistance in Sake, they would be encouraging IDPs to return to a situation where security is not assured. Nkunda's troops are no more than 10 kilometers from Sake, and in Sake itself, returnees must deal with the presence of large numbers of FARDC troops, many of whom have taken shelter in the IDPs houses and helped themselves to many of the IDPs belongings. An additional concern is that if assistance is indeed provided in Sake, the many FARDC troops present might well force the population to turn much of it over to them as soon as the humanitarians return to Goma. ¶11. (U) UNOCHA has requested of FARDC military leadership that soldiers be deployed outside the city, rather than in it, so as to limit negative civilian-military interaction. Though military authorities have agreed in principle, and though some troops have indeed been moved to the periphery of Sake and the neighboring hills, the town unfortunately still remains heavily militarized. The humanitarian community is now of mixed views as to whether distributions should now be initiated for returnees. The matter will continue to be debated in coming days as they continue to closely monitor the situation. MEECE.