ANOTHER HIGH PROFILE KILLING IN NORTH KIVU

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000782 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KPKO CG SUBJECT: ANOTHER HIGH PROFILE KILLING IN NORTH KIVU REF: KINSHASA 764 ¶1. (SBU) Floribert Bwana Chuy bin Kositi, North Kivu provincial secretary of the RCD-G party, was found murdered July 9 in Goma outside the grounds of a hotel owned by a prominent Tutsi businessman. This is the province's second high-profile murder case in the last week, following that of Kambale Kisoni, who was killed in Butembo July 5 (reftel). A MONUC-Goma political officer told us Chuy, a section chief in the Congolese Office of Control (OCC),disappeared on Saturday. His body, which showed signs of strangulation, was found 300-400 meters from the entrance of Goma's Hotel Karibu. The owner, Victor Ngezayo, told us the body was discovered by a passing motorbike driver around noon. ¶2. (SBU) Chuy's position at OCC involved monitoring the quality of imported food. Ngezayo told us Congolese and resident foreign importers often buy expired foodstuffs on the international market for pennies on the dollar and resell them in Goma. Ngezayo hypothesized that Chuy's killing was related to his job. Just prior to his death, Chuy had ordered the destruction of 80 tons of imported rice which he had determined was unfit for human consumption. The MONUC political officer said it was premature to draw any conclusions, but allowed that Chuy may have made enemies in his work. ¶3. (SBU) According to MONUC, Chuy was very active politically during the elections as a member of the RCD. He had, however, recently been living in Kinshasa and had not been particularly involved in politics. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: While the motivation of his killers remains unknown, news reports calling him "a former Congolese rebel leader" are inaccurate. Chuy was in fact barely 30 years old and a minor provincial politician. End comment. MEECE