MINEMBWE TALKS STALLED AS PATIENCE WITH DISSIDENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000628 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KPKO ASEC MOPS CG SUBJECT: MINEMBWE TALKS STALLED AS PATIENCE WITH DISSIDENTS WANES REF: A. KINSHASA 604 ¶B. KINSHASA 545 Classified By: PolOff CBrown, reasons 1.4 b/d. ¶1. (C) Summary: Discussions with armed Banyamulenge dissidents in South Kivu's Minembwe region remain stalled, and the group's leaders refuse to meet with provincial or MONUC officials. The dissidents are now allegedly recruiting, rearming, and committing violence against rival ethnic groups and Banyamulenge not sympathetic to their cause. Some non-integrated Congolese military (FARDC) commanders, using the pretext of a perceived threat from the dissidents, continue with their own refusal to report for integration. At least one new Mai-Mai militia has been formed, purportedly to counter possibly military activity by the dissidents. End summary. ¶2. (C) Talks aimed at convincing a group of armed Banyamulenge dissidents in South Kivu's High Plateau region remain stalled. In discussions with PolOff May 22-29 in South Kivu, political and military provincial authorities, MONUC officials, and local community leaders were nearly unanimous in their opinion that efforts to end the standoff with the dissidents -- led by Banyamulenge commanders Colonel Venant Bisogo and Major Michel Rukunda -- had not produced results. MONUC officials in South Kivu, who have been trying to mediate discussions with Bisogo and Rukunda and government authorities, reported the dissidents now refuse to meet with them or with any local leaders. MONUC-Bukavu Acting Head of Office Cheikh Bangoura said May 21 Bisogo and Rukunda canceled a planned meeting with MONUC officials in the High Plateau, insisting they would meet only with FARDC Land Forces Commander General Gabriel Amisi or FARDC Air Forces Commander General John Numbi. MONUC South Kivu Brigade Commander General Qamar Javed Bajwa said Rukunda had told him the dissidents needed to "consult among themselves" before entering further talks regarding integration. ¶3. (C) The dissidents' reluctance to meet comes amid reports of a split within their ranks. FARDC 10th Military Region (South Kivu) Commander General Sylvain Tshikwej told PolOff May 22 in Bukavu that a small group has broken away from Rukunda and Bisogo. According to Tshikwej, this splinter group of approximately 80 soldiers, led by a Colonel Mukalai, is apparently loyal to dissident General Laurent Nkunda, but �00A;nevertheless reportedly wishes to integrate. The remaining dissidents, estimated to be between 400-500 in strength, remain with Bisogo and Rukunda. This group still advocates for "mixage," the military integration procedure being implemented with Nkunda loyalists and pro-government troops in North Kivu. ¶4. (C) Several South Kivu officials claimed the dissidents are recruiting new members into their ranks and committing exactions against local populations. FARDC Commander General Patrick Masunzu alleged the dissidents have been recruiting voluntarily and forcibly among the Banyamulenge population in the Minembwe region, as well as among refugee populations in Burundi and Rwanda. Uvira Territory Administrator Daniel Eloko claimed Bisogo and Rukunda were recruiting demobilized soldiers as well, particularly those who once served in Masunzu's 112th Brigade. (Note: Neither provided proof of the recruitment, and their claims were likely fueled by unsubstantiated rumors throughout South Kivu of the "infiltration" of foreign fighters into the dissidents' ranks, ref A. End note.) ¶5. (C) The president of the Banyamulenge community in Uvira, Zacharias Hakizimana, said the dissidents have attacked locals, burning their houses, levying illegal taxes, and stealing crops and cattle. Eloko added that dissidents have also forcibly removed local government officials and replaced them with their supporters. Jonas Jondwe, the Uvira Deputy Administrator (an ethnic Munyamulenge),said the dissidents have not just targeted other ethnic groups, but also other Banyamulenge who are not believed to be "sympathetic." ¶6. (C) The hardening stance of the dissidents has stiffened the resolve of others to resist integration themselves. According to MONUC officials, one of the more hard-line FARDC officers is Lt. Colonel Dieudonne Mutepeke, an ethnic Mabembe (and ex-Mai-Mai) and commander of the non-integrated 109th Brigade in Uvira. MONUC-Uvira Head of Office Alessandra Trabattoni said Mutepeke, who has always been reluctant to integrate, is using the dissidents as a pretext for refusing KINSHASA 00000628 002 OF 002 integration orders. She added that Mutepeke is also resisting integration because he and his troops control access to the port in Uvira, generating significant illegal income. (Note: Mutepeke was involved in a serious car accident outside Uvira May 27, and is currently Kinshasa for medical treatment. End note.) ¶7. (C) Another FARDC commander who had resisted integration has signaled his willingness to integrate, however. Captain Yakutumba, a former battalion commander of the non-integrated 118th Brigade in Fizi, broke off from his commanders in early 2007, retreating to the Ubwari peninsula with several dozen soldiers, reportedly to resist integration. After a series of negotiations with MONUC and FARDC authorities, Yakutumba left Ubwari for Baraka with 50 of his men, all reportedly willing to rejoin the military. The group is expected to report to the Luberizi integration center in South Kivu in the coming week. ¶8. (C) PolOff met in Uvira May 28 with representatives of a newly-constituted Mai-Mai militia -- the "Forces d'Auto-Defense Mai-Mai" (FAM) -- that claims to have forces deployed throughout the province in the territories of Mwenga, Fizi, and Uvira. FAM spokesman Delon Mabira said the group was formed in April as a measure of "self-defense" against the dissidents. He claimed FAM members were not armed with weapons, except for those seized from the dissidents themselves. He added that FAM fighters arrested a captain from the FARDC's 11th Integrated Brigade in South Kivu who was suspected of collaborating with Bisogo and Rukunda, later turning him over to FARDC authorities for questioning. ¶9. (C) South Kivu Governor Celestin Cibalonza said he still supports a peaceful settlement with the dissidents for their integration, but he does not accept a "mixage" solution. Tshikwej and Masunzu both said in separate meetings that it SIPDIS appears the only way to end the standoff is to pursue the dissidents militarily. MONUC officials, while acknowledging the intransigence of Bisogo and Rukunda, warned that such a military option could spread into a wider conflict. Trabattoni said that if the FARDC were to attack the Banyamulenge dissidents, it would be seen as a "green light" by others -- such as Mutepeke -- to attack all Banyamulenge, whether affiliated with the dissidents or not. ¶10. (C) Comment: Allegations of recruitment and violations against local populations -- whether true or not -- only serve to increase tensions in the High Plateau. A military solution is clearly not a desired option, though some officials appear to be exploring this possibility. At the same time, the government has demonstrated a double standard by not insisting FARDC commanders integrate themselves. MONUC continues to monitor the situation closely, as evidenced by a June 5 visit by DSRSG Ross Mountain to Bukavu. End comment. MEECE