ANGOLA STILL TRYING TO BE A PLAYER IN THE DRC

C O N F I D E N T I A L LUANDA 001251 SIPDIS SIPDIS ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU NSC FOR PITMANN/LEO E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2017 TAGS: PREL MOPS OTRA CG AO SUBJECT: ANGOLA STILL TRYING TO BE A PLAYER IN THE DRC PEACE PROCESS REF: A. LUANDA 01203 ¶B. LUANDA 01208 ¶C. KINSHASA 1311 Classified By: AMBASSADOR DAN MOZENA FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (U) Angola, which continues to seek a role in ending the conflict in the eastern DRC, this week engaged in a series of high-level meetings between Angolan and Congolese military officials. Congolese Military (FARDC) Chief of Staff Dieudonne Kayembe stressed the "special place" that Angola holds among the GDRC's partners and requested the FAA's continuation and expansion of existing training programs for FARDC soldiers, airmen, sailors and officers during meetings in Luanda with senior defense officials, including Vice-Minister of Defense Agostinho Nelumba "Sanjar" and the Angolan Armed Force's (FAA) Assistant Chief Staff, General Geraldo Nunda during the week of December 10th. ¶2. (U) Nunda downplayed the possibility of Angolan participation in offensive military operations in the eastern DRC in statements to the press following the meeting. He instead stressed the importance of Angola's continuing to provide training assistance to the Congolese military, thereby enabling the FARDC to deal with continued strife in the Eastern DRC on their own. ¶3. (C) According to European military sources in Luanda, however, the Angolan military recently sent a team of 12-15 military and intelligence personnel to eastern Congo where, reportedly, they are performing surveillance and reconnaissance activities. Namibian and Zimbabwean military officials are reportedly traveling with the team. The source could not confirm if this team was related to the Angolan-led assessment mission sent from the SADC security commission in late November (ref c). ¶4. (U) Angola's role in the eastern Congo peace process was also raised in discussions at the AU/EU summit in Lisbon on December 8-9. Foreign Minister Joao Miranda used the AU/EU summit as a platform to broadcast Angola's efforts to help negotiate a solution to the continued conflict in the Great Lakes region, as assessed in refs A and B. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: For the past three weeks, government media have rehashed on a near daily basis the GRA's aspirations to play a role in bringing peace and security to the DRC. The GRA has now raised their Congo peace plan at the AU/EU Summit, during Africom Commander General Ward's recent visit (ref A) and during Ambassador Mozena's presentation of copies of his credentials to the Foreign Minister (ref B), emphasizing Angola's perceived role as a player in the eastern Congo. All the same, details on Angola's plan to promote peace in the eastern Congo remain scarce and undefined. Also, we do not know to what extent Angola's SADC partners support its efforts in the region. END COMMENT MOZENA