A/S FRAZER MEETING WITH NORTH KIVU GOVERNOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000686 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/06/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO CG SUBJECT: A/S FRAZER MEETING WITH NORTH KIVU GOVERNOR Classified By: PolOff TJNaber, reasons 1.4 b/d. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: During an April 4 meeting, North Kivu Governor Eugene Serufuli told A/S Frazer and the Ambassador that the biggest problems facing North Kivu were continued insecurity, a lack of economic progress, and the challenge of establishing a democratic culture. End summary. ¶2. (C) Serufuli began the meeting by telling A/S Frazer that the population of North Kivu was enthusiastic about upcoming elections. The number one issue for North Kivu, he said, was insecurity. He cited the FDLR as the biggest security problem, followed by the Ugandan NALU in the north, renegade general Nkunda, and militia leader Jackson. According to Serufuli, the Congolese army (FARDC) so far has not been effective. He was critical of military integration, stating that the process was too slow; integration centers were unprepared to provide food, medicine, and housing to soldiers; and the 45 days of training offered were insufficient to prepare soldiers for their mission. Even so, Serufuli stated that the non-integrated troops were even worse than those that had undergone integration. He reported that those troops continue to prey on the population with impunity. He also criticized CONADER's demobilization program, saying it "essentially abandoned" those men who chose demoilization over integration into the FARDC. He aked for U.S. help with army integration, saying RC needed a structure to ensure a unified, disciplined army. In response to a question by A/S Fraer, Serufuli recognized that MONUC is a source o stability and does all it can within its mandat. He also noted that there had been cooperationwith Kigali regarding FDLR repatriation; Rwanda has reportedly accepted FDLR officers back and treatd them well. ¶3. (C) Serufuli also talked about he decline in economic standards in the province including poor education, lack of sanitation, and deteriorating infrastruture, as well as the failure to pay government wrkers' salaries. He said the province had "unheled wounds" because many in the region hadn't benefited from the transition, especially economicaly. He said North Kivu needed American private ivestment and added that he had been in contact wit the African-American Chamber of Commerce in Wasington. For her part, A/S Frazer responded that more investment would follow successful elections ¶4. (C) Lamenting the intolerance and ethnic hared that he still sees in North Kivu, Serufuli caimed that many politicians in the region pursuea policy of exclusion and division. In contrast,he stated that his goals are to encourage coopertive cohabitation among all groups and to implan a democratic culture. He cautioned the A/S againt believing rumors, which he blamed for the recet blacklisting of his NGO, All for Peace and Deveopment (TPD),by the U.N. for allegedly supportig arms trafficking. Rather obliquely, Serufuli sked for U.S. help in ensuring that "the (U.N.) ecurity Council does not take ill-informed decisons...," which principals understood to refer bac to his TPD concerns. ¶5. (C) In subsequent convrsations with PolCouns, Serufuli again emphasize his concern with security sector reform, identiying this as the number one priority forincreased U.S. support and assistance. He recounted a recent increase in the number of FDLR attacks on isolated villages which have led to mounting frustration among Congolese. Serufuli cautioned that failure to improve the capacity and capabilities of FARDC, particularly in relation to their capacity to control the FDLR problem, could lead to a precarious situation even before the elections. ¶6. (C) Comment: Serufuli was talkative and forthcoming during this meeting, although most of his comments did not break new ground and he kept returning to the central issue of security. His concerns regarding TCP, however, may indicate a growing uneasiness regarding his own vulnerability in relation to the NGO, which has been publicly condemned by the U.N. After an initial strategy of denying any involvement with TCP, Serufuli now seems to be asserting that the condemnation is all just a misunderstanding. The recent example of Thomas Lubanga, handed over to the International Court of Justice as a war criminal for his involvement with armed groups in the DRC, may be prompting Serufuli to increase his efforts in publicly clearing his own name. End comment. KINSHASA 00000686 002 OF 002 DOUGHERTY