NEWS REPORTS OF BRAVO MIXED BRIGADE DEPREDATIONS

UNCLAS KINSHASA 001031 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV MARR KJUS CG SUBJECT: NEWS REPORTS OF BRAVO MIXED BRIGADE DEPREDATIONS NOT NEWS IN DRC REF: KINSHASA 00947 ¶1. (U) Reuters reported August 22 that MONUC peacekeepers had found the half-buried bodies of at least six people at two abandoned North Kivu military camps, recently vacated by soldiers of the FARDC Bravo "Mixed" Brigade. Bravo, one of several units that include unintegrated FARDC troops and soldiers allied with renegade General Laurent Nkunda, has been implicated in dozens of serious human rights violations since its formation in January. ¶2. (SBU) A MONUC Goma political officer told us August 23 that peacekeepers had found the remains of six people near the villages of Katweguru and Kiseguru, approximately 60 miles north of Goma. She said the local Red Cross had investigated and found what they believed were larger graves with as many as 18 bodies. She speculated the victims were most likely deserters or detainees who had been killed when the Brigade decamped earlier this month. She said bodies were also discovered July 5 after members of another "mixed" brigade changed locations. ¶3. (SBU) MONUC human rights officers and North Kivu human rights NGOs have told us of numerous similar abuses by Bravo Brigade. According to the MONUC Human Rights Office, at least 60 civilians have been summarily executed by Nkunda loyalists within Bravo in the past five months. ASADHO Butembo, a human rights NGO which works throughout North Kivu, complained that the Nkunda-allied soldiers in the mixed brigades "are never subject to prosecution; for them, all attacks are permitted; they are little kings." A human rights lawyer in North Kivu also told us that the local FARDC command denies all responsibility for the acts of soldiers allied with Nkunda. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: MONUC told us two months ago (reftel) that the most serious human rights issue in North Kivu is abuses by soldiers of the FARDC mixed brigades, notably Bravo. Despite ample proof of violations, no action has been taken against any mixed brigade soldier since the units were first deployed in January. This is another symptom of authorities' continuing impotence in dealing with the problems posed by Nkunda and his allies. End comment. BROCK