PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT IN BAS-CONGO PROVINCE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000134 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV CASC MOPS KPKO ASEC CG ELECTIONS SUBJECT: PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT IN BAS-CONGO PROVINCE REF: A. A. KINSHASA 102 ¶B. B. 05 KINSHASA 1064 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Protests in Bas-Congo province, sparked by the controversial result of the January 27 gubernatorial election, turned violent January 31-February 1 with clashes between security forces and demonstrators led by adherents of an ethnic Kongo political-religious movement, Bundu dia Kongo (BDK). There are unconfirmed reports of as many as 80 fatalities. The Consular Section checked with local wardens, and there are no reports of any American citizens being involved in the incidents. Business has returned to normal in the province and the situation is currently calm, but with a strong security presence in the province's major towns. End summary. ¶2. (U) Election-related clashes January 31 and February 1 in several locations in Bas-Congo province involving security forces and adherents of Bundu dia Kongo (BDK),an ethnic separatist movement, have left as many as 80 dead according to preliminary but unconfirmed reports. There were civilian, police, and military casualties. Violence was greatest in the Congo River ports of Matadi (the provincial capital and link to the western DRC) and Boma, and Muanda on the Atlantic coast, but several smaller locations, including Kasangulu and Kinzaomvwele, were affected as well. It is not clear to what extent the incidents may have been coordinated. ¶3. (U) Reports received February 2 from residents in the province indicate the situation is now calm, but with heavy presence of security forces on the streets. Consular officer called registered American citizens in the province, and Embassy has no reports of any Americans being involved in the violence. Two MONUC vehicles were stoned by a large crowd, and one was set on fire; no injuries were reported. ¶4. (U) The violence disrupted economic activity throughout the province, resulting in the January 31 closure of all commercial ports and the temporary shutoff of the petroleum pipeline to Kinshasa. Most of the western DRC's petroleum products enter the region through this pipeline, as do a large percentage of the country's imports. ¶5. (U) The violence was sparked by discontent with the results of the January 27 Bas-Congo gubernatorial election (ref A). Provincial assembly deputies narrowly elected a nominally independent but pro-Kabila candidate in a province that voted heavily for rival presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba in the October 2006 general elections. BDK spiritual leader Ne Muanda Nsemi, a member of the National Assembly, was the candidate for vice governor on the losing ticket, headed by a member of Bemba's MLC party. ¶6. (U) Following announcement of the election results January 28, the BDK called for people to refrain from going about ordinary business the following week and show their dissatisfaction through a "ville morte," or general strike. From all reports, BDK's call brought little response, although its charge that pro-Kabila politicians corrupted deputies to vote for their candidate has received wide currency in the province. ¶7. (U) On the evening of January 31, police attempted to raid a BDK residence in search of arms. Nsemi, a National Assembly deputy, was in Kinshasa, but the police were met with resistance from his supporters; nearly a dozen people reportedly died in the incident. ¶8. (U) The following day, BDK adherents set up roadblocks and burned cars to prevent entry to several towns and impede access to the main provincial highway, which links the ports of Matadi and Boma to Kinshasa. Further violence erupted when police attempted to clear the streets and disperse the demonstrators. BDK adherents also attacked police and government installations. Later in the day, military forces arrived to assist the police in re-establishing order in Muanda. ¶9. (SBU) No official casualty figures have been released, but there have been fatalities reported in Matadi, Boma, Moanda, and Kinzaomvele. Violence in Boma was apparently the worst, and included decapitation of a policeman by machete-wielding BDK militants. ¶10. (SBU) Presidency officials rejected claims of electoral fraud, and condemned the violence. Interior Minister Denis KINSHASA 00000134 002 OF 002 Kalume traveled to Matadi February 1 to confer with provincial and security authorities and BDK representatives. He had earlier met in Kinshasa with BDK leader Nsemi, who called on his followers not to engage in violence. Kalume told reporters that President Kabila has ordered the DRC's prosecutor-general and auditor-general to the province to head an investigation of the incidents. The Congolese military sent a battalion from the Seventh Integrated Brigade from Kinshasa to Bas-Congo. ¶11. (SBU) Comment. This is not the first time that the BDK, a millennial movement whose most radical members dream of recreating the medieval Kongo kingdom from large parts of present-day Angola, the DRC and the Republic of Congo, has been involved in violence. Most recently, BDK-led demonstrations in July resulted in several deaths in Matadi (ref B). There is no doubt that Bas-Congo political figures who allied themselves with Bemba will attempt to further tap into discontent long present in the province among BDK adherents. End comment. MEECE