Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KINSHASA788
2006-05-18 16:23:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kinshasa
Cable title:  

ELECTIONS: ITURI POLITICS NOT YET IN FULL BLOOM

Tags:  PGOV PREL KDEM KPKO CG UG ELECTIONS 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KINSHASA 000788 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KPKO CG UG ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: ELECTIONS: ITURI POLITICS NOT YET IN FULL BLOOM


Classified By: PolOff CBrown, reasons 1.4 b/d.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KINSHASA 000788

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KPKO CG UG ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: ELECTIONS: ITURI POLITICS NOT YET IN FULL BLOOM


Classified By: PolOff CBrown, reasons 1.4 b/d.


1. (SBU) Summary: In contrast to the open displays of
political showmanship elsewhere in the DRC, Ituri District
has yet to see much public electoral campaigning within its
borders. Political parties freely operate in the region, but
the practice of politics remains largely out of public view,
as political parties were outlawed for several years in
Ituri, and their activities are just now becoming more
accepted. Nevertheless, Congolese throughout Ituri eagerly
await the July 30 presidential and legislative elections and
regard the opportunity to vote as a chance to resolve
persistent security and economic concerns. End summary.

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ITURI: SEPARATE AND APART
--------------


2. (U) During a visit to Ituri District May 6-10, PolOff met
with a variety of political and civil society
representatives, religious leaders, MONUC staff, and
government officials in an effort to assess preparations for
the upcoming July 30 presidential and legislative elections.
Those PolOff spoke to in the principal towns of Bunia, Mahagi
and Aru all generally agreed that the population would
participate in large numbers during elections. What many
bemoaned, however, was the lack of understanding -- both
among voters and political parties -- regarding practical
matters surrounding the electoral process, such as how to
vote, what the DRC's constitution and electoral law
guaranteed as the rights of all citizens, and the general
guidelines of political campaigns.


3. (U) Part of the reason for the political vacuum in Ituri
stems from the district's unique historical, ethnic and
security problems, in addition to the system of rule
established there after the war. Ituri has long been a region
beset by ethnic strife, often between indigenous Hema and
Lendu tribes that fought for control of land and resources.
These conflicts had little if anything to do with the larger
security concerns plaguing the DRC, notably in terms of the
infiltration of foreign armed groups. Starting in 1998,

though, existing tensions were exacerbated when Ugandan
actors manipulated the local population and created proxy
militias to battle for control of resources such as gold and
timber. The Ituri militias fighting today against the
Congolese army are a result of these influences. Ituri has
also been more politically isolated from the rest of the DRC
as a result of its geography. Bordering Lake Albert and
Uganda, local commerce has been more traditionally oriented
towards the East (Uganda) rather than the South (the Kivus)
or the West (Kisangani, and ultimately, Kinshasa).
Consequently, Iturians felt less a part of the DRC and more
as an independently-operating entity.


4. (SBU) This mindset was recognized when, after the war
ended in 2003, the central government in Kinshasa established
a quasi-independent interim administration to govern Ituri.
Effectively, Ituri became an area separate and apart from the
rest of the country's governing structure. In addition,
because of the ethnic strife in Ituri, political activities
were forbidden and political parties were not allowed to
operate. Political life, then, was dormant in Ituri until
2005, when the ban was lifted. As a result, political
activity is still viewed with some suspicion by the local
population, and outward displays of political activity remain
rare.

--------------
"WE'RE JUST WAKING UP"
--------------


5. (C) Several details from PolOff's recent visit to Ituri
illustrate this point. First, the Ituri District
Commissioner, Petronille Vaweka, while a well-known and
popular figure in Bunia, is not officially a member of any
political party. (Note: While Vaweka is technically
independent, she is nonetheless an ally of the People's Party
for Reconstruction and Development, PPRD, and has sought
political counsel from party leaders during visits to
Kinshasa. End note.) Second, despite being welcomed by large
and boisterous crowds during his visits to North and South
Kivu provinces, PPRD Secretary General Vital Kamerhe's visit
to Bunia in early May was largely kept a secret. While MONUC
officials were aware of Kamerhe's trip, the local Independent
Electoral Commission (CEI) coordinator and a representative
of Bunia's Civil Society told PolOff they were completely
unaware Kamerhe had been in Bunia. Finally, perhaps the most
telling bit of evidence about the lack of political activity
in Ituri was the absence of party flags throughout the
District. Unlike along the roads in North Kivu, where each
village sported at least a few party flags, PolOff saw only a
handful of flags in all of Ituri -- and the majority of those
flew from local party offices. The dearth of flags -- an
indicator of political activity throughout the DRC -- would
suggest that citizen involvement in political activities is
not yet in full bloom in Ituri.


6. (C) Iturians are just now becoming engaged in the
approaching electoral scrum. The DRC's major political
parties all have set up offices in Ituri's major towns, and
there is a growing understanding among potential voters about
what elections mean and why it is important to vote. However,
political parties generally lack sufficient financing to
conduct electoral campaigns, and few voters have seen copies
of the country's constitution or electoral law. The Bishop of
Bunia, Monsignor Dieudonne Ulingi, said this lack of
information leaves voters susceptible to manipulation by
outside forces or more sophisticated political parties.
Emmanuel Ngabu, a member of Bunia civil society and a teacher
at the local university, underlined this vulnerability when
he told PolOff, "We're just waking up."

--------------
PPRD THE EARLY FRONT-RUNNER
--------------


7. (SBU) Nearly all officials PolOff spoke to from Bunia to
Aru agreed that the PPRD was the best-implanted and
best-prepared political party in Ituri. The District has been
increasingly garnering the attention of party officials, most
notably with the visit (albeit unpublicized) of the PPRD
Secretary General. The Vice Governor of Orientale province,

SIPDIS
also a PPRD member, visited Aru and Mahagi during PolOff's
trip as well. Monsignor Ulingi of Bunia explained the PPRD's
appeal among the population was based on hopes for peace and
security. Ulingi said people approved the constitution during
the December referendum because they believed a vote for the
constitution was a vote for President Kabila. Ulingi also
said Iturians view Kabila as having improved security in
Ituri through his support of MONUC. Therefore, per the
Bishop, a vote for Kabila is a vote for security.


8. (SBU) Other parties currently with a presence in Ituri,
although generally minimal, include Vice President Bemba's
Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC),Vice President Ruberwa's
Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD),and Mbusa Nyamwisi's
Rally for Congolese Democracy-Kisangani/Liberation Movement
(RCD-K/ML). However, as many in Ituri explained, these
parties -- including the PPRD -- lack well-developed
political platforms or ideas to attract voters. The assistant
Bishop of Mahagi, Monsignor Leonard, said that political
parties in his territory were generally not well-informed and
had little idea of how to go about running a political
campaign.

--------------
LACK OF CIVIC EDUCATION
--------------


9. (SBU) Similarly, potential voters lack information about
the electoral process. The administrators of both Mahagi and
Aru territories said there had been no civic education
campaigns launched in their regions, although the public at
least knew elections were going to take place. Members of
civil society in Bunia and Mahagi said they themselves lacked
the funds and transportation means needed to carry out any
kind of civic education programs outside the larger towns.
Local Electoral Commission officials likewise complained
about insufficient funds to provide copies of the
constitution and electoral law to interested citizens. MONUC,
for its part though, has been very active in providing
election materials to voters and political parties, and has
held a series of training seminars for legislative candidates
in Bunia, Aru, and Mahagi in the past few months. In
addition, the MONUC Public Information Officer in Aru told
PolOff that his office, in conjunction with UNDP, was about
to launch a new program to assist local radio networks in
their coverage of elections.


10. (SBU) The Administrator of Mahagi, Jean-Paul Likambo,
said the population, however, does not particularly care
about all the details surrounding the electoral process.
Aside from knowing the actual date of the elections, Likambo
said there is little else about which Iturians seemed
interested. Instead, Likambo said people in Ituri care more
about making money and finding enough food to feed their
families than they do about the specifics of the electoral
calendar. Moreover, Monsignor Leonard of Mahagi added that
people are going to vote based on the character of the
individual candidate, not the party or the party's ideology.
As Aru's CEI coordinator July Angha said, voters just "want
to send good people to Kinshasa to help the region."

--------------
SECURITY FEARS AND POST-ELECTION SPOILERS
--------------

11. (C) Underpinning the strong desire by Iturians to head to
the polls are equally strong fears about interference from
Uganda, as well as the possibility of spoilers taking up arms
after the elections. In nearly every meeting in Ituri --
whether with Church officials, CEI workers or local
politicians -- the Congolese expressed their belief that
Uganda would somehow attempt to disrupt elections, either by
invading outright or encouraging local militias to attack the
population. Civil society representatives in Mahagi told
PolOff they believed arms had been hidden on the outskirts of
the town in preparation for future militia attacks. While no
one could provide concrete evidence of Ugandan activity, in
Ituri the concern is palpable. MONUC officials throughout
Ituri, however, said the motivation of Ituri militias remains
largely economic, and they have seen no evidence that groups
such as the Congolese Revolutionary Movement (MRC) are trying
to disrupt the electoral process.

--------------
COMMENT: NOT POLITICS AS NORMAL
--------------


12. (SBU) What is notable in Ituri is that the political
discourse underway there is not characterized by the ethnic
conflicts of the past. Political parties had been banned in
Ituri so as not to inflame tensions between Hema and Lendu.
Such a development signals a positive future for the
development in Ituri of a political class -- one focused more
on achieving results for the region as a whole and less on
dividing it. And while insecurity remains an ever-present
threat, Iturians themselves appear dedicated to participating
fully in the July 30 elections. End comment.
MEECE