REFUGEE REFERRAL FOR EMMANUEL MARIE DINDA

C O N F I D E N T I A L ACCRA 000651

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2017
TAGS: PREF PHUM GH CO
SUBJECT: REFUGEE REFERRAL FOR EMMANUEL MARIE DINDA

REF: 03 STATE 326486

Classified By: RefCoord Nate Bluhm for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)


1. (C) Summary: Embassy Accra hereby refers Emmanuel Marie
Dinda (DOB: 16 October 1966, POB: Mbuji-Mayi, DRC) to the
U.S. resettlement program. Dinda took refuge in Ghana in
February 2005. He previously served as Administrator of
Presidential Affairs from 1993 to 1997 under former Congolese
President Mobutu. An attempt on his life was made in Congo
and he was allegedly attacked in Ghana by a Congolese
military person. He lives in hiding, under constant fear and
has no means of supporting himself. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Dinda formerly worked as a Roman Catholic priest and
as such met Mr. Michael Bowcutt in 1986/87, who worked as
Communications Program Officer at the American Embassy in
Kinshasa. Mr. Bowcutt had submitted a request to President
Mobutu to open an Mormon church and President Mobutu asked
Dinda to look into the matter. (Embassy Kinshasa has
confirmed that Mr. Bowcutt worked in said position from
1984-1988). In 1991, Dinda resigned from the priesthood.


3. (C) From 1993 to 1997, Dinda held the position of
Administrator of Presidential Affairs until Kabila came to
power. In May 1997 he went into hiding in a house in
Kinshasa together with his parents and older brother. In
September 1997, his parents and older brother were allegedly
killed by Kabila's forces because of his association with
former President Mobutu. Dinda was able to escape and went
into hiding in Bukavu at his farm until November 2004, at
which time the military allegedly came to the farm.
ransacking and destroying his property while Dinda was
visiting his cousin Adolphine. Dinda then left to hide in
Walikale.


4. (C) On January 27, 2005 Dinda returned to Bukavu to see
his cousin, and claims he was arrested around 6pm,
blind-folded and tortured. Dinda claims his captors wanted
to know where Mobutu had hidden his fortunes. He was thrown
into Lake Kivu to drown, but was able to escape. Again he
went to his cousin Adolphine, who gave him $1,000 and
introduced him to a Malian who gave him Malian clothes and
identity papers, and brought him to Brazzaville on January
29, 2005. In February he flew from Brazzaville to Lagos, and
then drove from Lagos to Accra. On February 14, 2005, he
registered with UNHCR Ghana as a refugee.


5. (C) Five months after his arrival in Ghana, Dinda claims
he was attacked by Efefe Bakombela-Nkoy, a Congolese military
official. Dinda claims that Bakombela tried to kill him. He
reported the attack to the police and Bakombela was arrested
and put in Jamestown prison. (Post was able to confirm the
report and Bakombela's subsequent arrest. Charges were
dropped when Dinda could not be contacted to appear in
court.) In September 2005, three robbers in a car attacked
him near Nima police station in Accra and stole his backpack
with all his papers; Mr. Dinda later reported the attack.
Dinda claims that he was told on February 13, 2007 that Mr.
Tshimbola (a representative of Kabila's party in Ghana) was

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planning on poisoning him.


6. (C) Post has had intermittent contact with Mr. Dinda over
the past 18 months, including various meetings following the
incidents described in aragraph 5.


7. (C) Embassy Kinshasa has clearedthis telegram, althoughit was not able to co
nfim the refugee's biographical data.

BRIDGEWATER