TRIPARTITE-PLUS FUSION CELL HOLDS GRADUATION

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000346 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR KPKO CG MONUC SUBJECT: TRIPARTITE-PLUS FUSION CELL HOLDS GRADUATION CEREMONY REF: A. KINSHASA 000169 ¶B. 05 KINSHASA 000701 ¶C. 05 KINSHASA 000332 ¶1. (U) Summary. The Tripartite-Plus Fusion Cell held a "graduation" in Kisangani for its initial trainees on 25 February. The brief ceremony was attended by MONUC officials, several Congolese political representatives including Governor of Province Orientale Jean-Pierre Lola Kisanga, and National Security Advisor to President Kabila Guillerme Samba Kaputu, as well as local military representatives. Military and intelligence officials from the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, ONUB, and MONUC celebrated their completion of the three-week integrated training program and prepared to put their enhanced skills and new networks to use. Despite varied but minor logistical challenges, participants in the joint training exercise generally expressed satisfaction with the program. End Summary. ¶2. (U) DATT and Poloff represented the USG at the graduation ceremony. After a short introduction and congratulatory message conveyed by the DATT, Samba Kaputu offered an eloquent speech thanking the various participants and sponsors and emphasizing the need for cooperative international measures to combat the "negative forces" still operating in the eastern DRC. The mood was positive and many people noted the need for ongoing commitment and cooperation among the regional participants. ¶3. (U) Although the USG-contracted fusion cell trainers reported a lack of significant information sharing in this first phase of the project, they indicated that the group had been much more interactive than initially anticipated. Small things -- such as seeing the thirty participants divide into mixed groups and cooperate during the computer training exercises -- seemed to give the trainers hope that the participants will support meaningful, ongoing collaboration. Other problematic issues, such as uncertainties regarding security support and procurement of maps to support the data analysis, were resolved in discussions among the trainers and MONUC staff. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: As the majority of trainees return to their capitals or units to support ongoing information sharing, others remain at the fusion cell site to continue with the vital tasks of jointly analyzing data and maintaining meaningful contacts with their regional counterparts. Progress has been made, but the final effectiveness of this program will depend on the level of trust and confidence developed among participants in the sharing of information from their respective countries . End comment. MEECE