KABILA PICKS DIDIER ETUMBA, A REGIONAL OUTSIDER,

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001025 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/18/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL CG SUBJECT: KABILA PICKS DIDIER ETUMBA, A REGIONAL OUTSIDER, AS NEW MILITARY CHIEF OF STAFF Classified By: Ambassador William Garvelink for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) . ¶1. (U) On November 17, President Kabila named Didier Etumba Longila as the new Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, replacing Dieudonne Kayembe. Concurrently, Etumba was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General. Although an army officer, Etumba had been serving as Navy Chief of Staff, as well as Deputy Coordinator of the Amani Program and Co-President of the Joint Technical Commission for Peace and Security in the Amani Program. ¶2. (S) Following the recent debacle that the FARDC suffered during the CNDP's near-capture of Goma in late October, it was widely rumored that President Kabila would shake up the senior levels of the FARDC. Rumors also circulated that Etumba, who has consistently advocated a hard-line political stance vis-a-vis the rebel group CNDP, would be rotated away from the Kivus. President Kabila reportedly trusts Etumba, however, and has bypassed more senior general officers to interface directly with him. The new CHOD does not come from Kabila's home province of Katanga. He is from Equateur Province, former President Mobutu's home base and the stronghold of opposition leader Jean-Pierre Bemba. ¶3. (S) In his former position, Etumba created two special offices in his cabinet: a special cell with an unknown purpose and an Office of Analysis and Studies. The Office of Analysis and Studies acts as a special advisory cell responsible for directing the politics and strategy of President Kabila. Etumba also established an operations unit in Kinshasa to deal with the situation in Eastern DRC by collecting tactical intelligence exploited by teams of military intelligence officers deployed to the region. ¶4. (S) Etumba's loyalty to Kabila is very strong. During the August 2006 presidential elections, Etumba broadcast a radio message to FARDC units stating that then Vice-President and presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba had become subversive. Etumba ordered FARDC units to vigilantly monitor the national borders and Bemba's actions. During the election campaign, Etumba aided an NGO (CODEK),which sought to win the hearts and minds of the Kinshasa population for the Kabila cause. However, CODEK's efforts proved futile and may have undermined Etumba's position in the presidential inner circle. ¶5. (U) Etumba was born on July 15, 1955 in Basankusu, Equateur Province. He graduated from the Brussels Royal Military Academy as an infantry officer. Etumba received additional training at the academy in intelligence, military security, and strategy. He received a certificate as a gendarmerie officer from the Belgian Royal Gendarmerie School, and a degree in Criminology from Liege University. ¶6. (U) His career path includes the following: 1994 Promoted to Major June 1997 Commander, Counselor for the President June 1998 Commander, Chief of Staff for Military Intelligence (DEMIAP) 1999 Military Advisor at Lusaka negotiations October 2000 Lieutenant Colonel, Chief of Staff at DEMIAP, GDRC representative to the Joint Military Commission to the Sun City Inter-Congolese Dialogue February 2002 Colonel, Director of Foreign Military Intelligence August 2003 Brigadier General, Chief of Staff at DEMIAP June 2007 Major General (Rear Admiral),Navy Chief of Staff January 2008 Navy Chief of Staff, Deputy Coordinator of the Amani Program and Co-President of the Amani Program's Joint Technical Commission for Peace and Security ¶7. (C) Comment: Kabila's choice of Etumba to become the nation's senior military officer has surprised many observers, some of whom had predicted he would be fired or relegated to a lesser position because of the FARDC's KINSHASA 00001025 002 OF 002 collapse on October 29. But the choice may not be that surprising. It is not clear to what extent Etumba was responsible for the October 29 debacle. As a Kinshasa-based military advisor, not a commander in the field, he escapes blame. It the end Kabila clearly opted for someone he believes he can trust. The fact that Etumba is not from Katanga, from where almost all of the President's closest advisors are, makes this point in a powerful way. We have had little direct contact with Etumba, who apparently does not speak English. He comes across at Amani process meetings as hard-line and we see little flexibility in his positions. On the other hand, he is quick to grasp different points of view and is highly articulate. We will follow his actions closely in the coming weeks. End Comment. ¶8. (S) This message draws from a 2008 DIA Military Leadership Profile. GARVELINK