TENSIONS HIGH, RUMORS RAMPANT IN SOUTH KIVU

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000604

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/04/2017
TAGS: PGOV KPKO ASEC CG
SUBJECT: TENSIONS HIGH, RUMORS RAMPANT IN SOUTH KIVU

REF: A. KINSHASA 582


B. KINSHASA 545

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


1. (SBU) Summary: Tensions are high in South Kivu province
following warnings from leading political and religious
figures warning of alleged foreign plots to launch a "new
war" in the region. The recent arrests of purported foreign
nationals in the province has added to a growing chorus of
rumors and conspiracy theories about "infiltrations" of
fighters from neighboring countries. MONUC officials state,
however, that such reports are unfounded. The continuing
standoff with dissident Banyamulenge soldiers in the High
Plateau region of Minembwe, attacks by Rasta militiamen, and
long-standing ethnic distrust have all contributed to
tensions about security, often fueled by a propensity for
rumors to prevail over hard evidence. End summary.


2. (SBU) Fears about security have increased in South Kivu in
the past weeks as unfounded and unsubstantiated rumors of the
infiltration of foreign fighters and the possibility of a
renewed conflict spread throughout the province. Recent
statements by provincial leaders, including the governor and
the Catholic archbishop, have sparked small student
demonstrations and growing fears among the population. MONUC
officials in South Kivu say the situation is tense and at a
crucial point that could lead to wider violence if the rumors
are not clearly refuted by provincial and national leaders.


3. (SBU) South Kivu Governor Celestin Cibalonza (a member of
the pro-Kabila PPRD party) alleged in a Bukavu press
conference May 27 that three Burundian nationals recently
arrested by provincial authorities claimed they had been
recruited in Bujumbura to fight for a group of Banyamulenge
dissident soldiers in the Minembwe region. According to
Cibalonza, the detainees further claimed numerous others from
Burundi had infiltrated the DRC to join the dissidents, and
had already positioned themselves in the provincial capital
of Bukavu. The governor claimed these statements were proof
of a plan to launch another war in South Kivu.


4. (C) In a May 21 meeting with PolOff in Bukavu, however,
Cibalonza said the three presumed Burundians were apparently
duped into joining the dissidents. During interrogation by
military authorities, Cibalonza said the detainees claimed
they were recruited by unknown persons in Bujumbura to
participate in a regional sports competition in Uvira. Once
they arrived in the DRC, they were reportedly forced by armed
men to join dissident Banyamulenge forces led by Colonel
Venant Bisogo and Major Michel Rukunda. MONUC officials in
Uvira said the three escaped their captors, fled to the local
UNHCR refugee camp to seek repatriation, and were
subsequently arrested by police before being handed over to
the military.


5. (C) Shortly after Cibalonza's public statements, Monsignor
Francis-Xavier Maroy, the Catholic Archbishop of Bukavu and
an influential voice in the province, released May 28 a
letter he had earlier given to the French Ambassador. Maroy
stated the people of South Kivu were living under a
"psychosis of war" and that the elements for a new war have
been prepared by various actors. The Archbishop claimed there
had been a "massive and systematic" infiltration of foreign
fighters into the province from Rwanda. Maroy cited as his
"proof" the allegations Cibalonza had made the day before. He
further alleged that ex-ANC commanders were placed in nearly
all positions of authority within the province's military
command structure. Maroy claimed the situation is similar to
that in the late 1990s before the Rwandan invasion of eastern
DRC. (Comment: Maroy is well-known for his virulent
anti-Tutsi views, and these comments further reflect that
outlook. End comment.)


6. (C) Student leaders held a series of small marches in
Bukavu June 1 to demand stronger measures be taken by the
government and military authorities to prevent the so-called
infiltrations. Protesters also demonstrated at MONUC
facilities, blaming the peacekeeping operation for "not doing
enough" to stop the violence. On May 31, police forces
conducted a raid on a tobacco factory warehouse, arresting 23
individuals alleged to be Rwandan. According to MONUC
officials in Bukavu, one of those arrested was Jean-Pierre
Mazambi Wilondja, the former Mobutu-era Congolese ambassador
to Burundi who later joined Azarias Ruberwa's RCD party.
Appointed South Kivu vice-governor in 2002, he is alleged to
have collaborated with Colonel Jules Mutebusi during the 2004

KINSHASA 00000604 002 OF 002


attack on Bukavu. Mazabi returned to the provincial capital
last year during the presidential election to campaign for
Ruberwa, but soon left the area due to security concerns.


7. (C) Governor Cibalonza, in addition to FARDC Regional
Military Commander General Sylvain Tshikwej, claimed
"Rwandans" are behind the current security problems at
separate meetings in Bukavu with PolOff on May 22 and 23.
Tshikwej added that Bisogo and Rukunda are actively

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recruiting, and using "agents" in Rwanda and Burundi to
infiltrate additional forces into the High Plateau.
Munyamulenge FARDC General Patrick Masunzu, a Kabila ally,
said he believes the dissidents are recruiting in advance of
a future "invasion" from neighboring countries. Uvira
Territory Administrator Daniel Eloko said May 24 the borders
in the southern part of the province, particularly in the
Ruzizi plain area, are porous, and the dissidents exploit
this weakness to bring in troops and weapons. None of these
officials, however, provided evidence to back their claims.


8. (C) MONUC officials in South Kivu recently investigated
allegations of infiltrations and report there is no credible
evidence to support the claims. MONUC-Uvira Head of Office
Alessandra Trabattoni told PolOff June 1 the claims made by
Cibalonza and Maroy in particular appear to be "without
foundation." Trabattoni said local Congolese security and
intelligence officials refute the stories as well, adding
that the statements are likely being made for "political
reasons." She said police and FARDC officials have no
evidence of their own to substantiate reports of
infiltrations. Trabattoni and other MONUC officials had told
PolOff during his May 21-29 trip there was evidence of one or
two individuals crossing illegally, but no "massive"
movements into the DRC.


9. (C) Other factors have contributed to heightened security
concerns in South Kivu, including an attack by Rasta
militiamen May 26 not far from Bukavu (ref A). In addition,
the Banyamulenge dissidents still refuse to integrate,
instead demanding the "mixage" option being implemented in
North Kivu (ref B). The dissidents' ongoing rebellion further
contributes to anti-Banyamulenge sentiment in the region,
adding to fears of supposed Rwandan plans to invade the DRC.


10. (C) Comment: While South Kivu is generally stable, the
statements by Cibalonza and Maroy could risk upsetting what
is always a delicate balance in the province. The current
situation is another example of the always-active South Kivu
rumor mill spinning into overdrive. However, with an
increasingly troublesome situation evolving in North Kivu,
claims of imminent war -- fueled by rumor, political
manipulation, and ethnic animosity -- can only make matters
worse. Though MONUC's investigations demonstrate the
allegations of infiltrations to be false, many in the
province seem to believe more in conspiracies than evidence.
End comment.
MEECE