NORTH KIVU FIGHTING CREATES NEW WAVE OF IDP'S,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000310

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO CG
SUBJECT: NORTH KIVU FIGHTING CREATES NEW WAVE OF IDP'S,
LEAVES MORE THAN A DOZEN DEAD

REF: A. KINSHASA 214

B. KINSHASA 207

C. KINSHASA 201

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


1. (SBU) Summary: Fighting between the Congolese military
(FARDC) and FDLR troops in North Kivu March 10-12 has
resulted in an estimated 10,000 internally displaced persons
(IDPs). Humanitarian officials in the province say assisting
these IDPs will be difficult because of continuing
insecurity. This conflict follows a purported ambush by
suspected FDLR elements of a FARDC commander, which in turn
triggered attacks that left at least a dozen dead. End
summary.


2. (SBU) OCHA-North Kivu director Patrick Lavand'homme told
us March 15 an estimated 10,000 people have fled the town of
Buramba about 40 miles northeast of the provincial capital
Goma. A joint MONUC-FARDC-OCHA mission to Buramba March 14
found the surrounding area deserted after two days of
fighting between elements of the FARDC's "mixed" Bravo
Brigade and suspected FDLR forces. North Kivu Director of
Migration Didier Iwondo reported that nearly all towns near
Buramba are empty after the recent clashes. Lavand'homme said
humanitarian officials base their estimate of new IDPs on
reports that the Buramba area usually has 10,000-12,000
residents.


3. (SBU) Lavand'homme, who took part in the mission to
Buramba, said most residents have fled to nearby Nyamilima
and Bunagana, where they have sought shelter in schools and
churches. He described their living conditions as "very bad."
There is a lack of potable water in the area, and
Lavand'homme said he feared a cholera outbreak, such has
occurred there during previous IDP flights.


4. (SBU) Lavand'homme said providing assistance will be
difficult at this point as the region is too insecure for
humanitarian agencies to travel safely. MONUC-Goma Head of
Office Ulli Mwambulutuku told us March 15 MONUC is deploying
a mobile base in Buramba to establish a "neutral zone" to
enable humanitarian agencies to deliver assistance.
Lavand'homme explained the roads toward Buramba are
controlled by the FDLR and local Mayi-Mayi militias. He said
he hoped the first delivery of water and other material would
arrive by March 17.


5. (SBU) This new wave of IDPs follows two days of fighting
between the 2nd Battalion of the "mixed" Bravo Brigade and
suspected FDLR elements. (Note: The "mixed" brigades combine
forces loyal to dissident General Laurent Nkunda and
pro-government FARDC troops into new units, as part of a
ceasefire deal reached between the GDRC and Nkunda's forces
in December 2006. End note.) A purported ambush by FDLR
forces of Bravo commander Col. Makenga Fulsani the evening of
March 9 apparently triggered the latest fighting. According
to MONUC-North Kivu Brigade intelligence officer Colonel
Mallik, suspected FDLR troops fired on Makenga's convoy near
Buramba, damaging his vehicle and injuring two soldiers.
Bravo troops reportedly returned fire and claimed to have
killed five FDLR forces in the counterattack.


6. (C) Mwambulutuku said Bravo elements apparently went on a
"revenge attack" the following day against suspected FDLR
members and collaborators around Buramba. Col. Delphin
Kahimbi, deputy commander of the FARDC's 8th Military Region
(North Kivu),confirmed to us March 15 that Bravo soldiers in
the area conducted a military operation against FDLR forces
suspected of taking part in the attack on Makenga. The
fighting continued into March 12.


7. (C) Mwambulutuku said the clashes left at least 14
civilians dead, many of whose bodies were dumped in latrines
or hidden in houses in Buramba. He added that Red Cross
officials in the area suspect at least six more civilians
died but their bodies have yet to be recovered. Lavand'homme
said locals who had come to claim the bodies of some of the
victims -- including children and older women -- rejected
accusations their relatives fought for the FDLR.


8. (C) Iwondo said he was not surprised by Bravo's conduct,
as he claimed the brigade has been provoking the local
population and suspected FDLR members nearly every day since
its arrival in the area in late January. Mwambulutuku added
that people in the region are "very scared" because of

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Bravo's aggressive activity, and he feared eventual reprisal
attacks by the local Hutu population against the presumed
Tutsi soldiers of Bravo. He suggested the only way to calm
people's fears is to redeploy Bravo to another region.


9. (C) Comment: The Buramba fighting is another example of
the poor conduct of Bravo Brigade and, by extension, the
inherent problems of the so-called "mixage" process. Bravo
has on several occasions attacked suspected FDLR elements
without authorization, killing innocent civilians and adding
to the region's IDP problem. It bears a good deal of
responsibility for the growing fears and increasing
insecurity in the operational zone it is supposed to be
protecting. End comment.
MEECE