GOMA NOTES - NAIROBI PROCESS: 15TH MEETING OF JOINT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000305 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS KPKO CG RW UN EUN SUBJECT: GOMA NOTES - NAIROBI PROCESS: 15TH MEETING OF JOINT MONITORING GROUP TASK FORCE, MARCH 28, 2008 REF: Kinshasa 287 ¶1. Summary. The March 28 meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) Task Force in Goma was again generally businesslike. The DRC claims to have captured Rwandan-national CNDP fighters, and the prisoners have alleged the presence of more. The DRC also claims to have captured a brigade-level FDLR intelligence chief in Masisi. FARDC is planning troop movements through CNDP territory, creating potential for Goma-process tensions. FARDC will appoint a new overall commander of Nairobi-related operations. The Rwandan delegation accused the FARDC 8th Military Region Deputy Commander of collusion with the FDLR. Minutes of the JMG Envoys meeting remain unavailable, so no cooperation with the Congo-Rwanda Joint Verification Teams (JVT) is yet possible. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) The March 28 meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) Task Force in Goma was again generally businesslike, although with a few tense moments during the GDRC's presentation. The meeting began at 1030 and ended at 1500. The Congolese delegation, led once again by Colonel Augustin Mamba, was expanded by the presence of Colonel Delphin Kahimbi, acting commander of the 8th Military Region (in the absence of General Vainqueur Mayala),and of Major Peter Chirimwana, the regional head of military intelligence. The Rwandan delegation was led as usual by Major Franco Rutagengwa. Other delegations were present as usual; Consul General Hughes Chantry again attended for the EU. GDRC presentation -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Mamba began with a brief update on the activities of the Goma process Amani Program, which he said is now functioning and yielding results (unspecified) with respect to the domestic armed groups. He then turned the floor over to Kahimbi, who proceeded to update the group on FARDC implementation activities under the Nairobi communique. Kahimbi made the following points: -- Ongoing operations: FARDC continues its campaign to restrict FDLR movements in mining areas. This remains the primary focus of operations at this time. -- Operational preparations: Kahimbi said these are progressing well. During the DRC-Rwanda Chiefs of Staff meeting on March 16 (ref A),he said the Rwandans expressed concerns regarding DRC plans shared with them at that time. The Rwandans have informed the GDRC that the GDRC operational priority should be dealing with the FDLR elements present along their common border. The GDRC has analyzed the points raised and will take them into consideration in its future planning. An updated operational plan reflecting these concerns will be presented soon to the Rwandan delegation. -- Command structure: Kahimbi said a FARDC major general will be appointed shortly to take over command of all Nairobi-related operations in North and South Kivu. -- Logistics: Eight battalions are needed to execute the current plan. Five are already in place and taking up positions; four more (sic) will be coming from the Kitona brassage center. Operations in North Kivu will be conducted separately in the northern and southern parts of the province. (Parallel operations are in progress in S. Kivu, but this is outside the 8th Military Region's operational area.) -- Developments in the field: Kahimbi said that, as previously announced, operations pursuant to the Nairobi communique were launched on March 18. During the course of operations in Kikuku in Masisi territory, the 132nd Battalion captured five Rwandan-national FDLR, including a captain named Sekajene Job, allegedly the intelligence officer of the "Sabere" Brigade. These Rwandan prisoners are requesting repatriation. Thirty-four FDLR of Congolese nationality also surrendered and were taken into custody. -- Request for MONUC escort: Kahimbi asked for a MONUC escort for two FARDC battalions presently in Rumangabo to travel to Walikali through CNDP-held territory in Sake and Mushake. Travel by lake would add 16 days to travel time. (Note: This raises Goma process cease-fire concerns that will be all the harder to deal with since the Joint Technical Committee on Peace and Security, to which such matters should be referred, has not yet convened. End note.) -- Response to Rwandan allegations of FARDC-FDLR collaboration: Kahimbi asked for more information -- "verifiable facts" -- for investigations to proceed properly. KINSHASA 00000305 002 OF 002 -- Allegations of Rwandan participation in DRC armed groups: Eight CNDP fighters who recently surrendered have admitted being Rwandan citizens and have requested repatriation; five are from Bunyonyi. Kahimbi called information these individuals put forward "troubling." They say there are 150 Rwandan soldiers in Busansa, east of Rutshuru, trained by and receiving continued support from Rwanda. -- Conclusion: FARDC has its Nairobi operations under control; it does not require and is not requesting Rwandan operational assistance at this stage. ¶4. (SBU) The GDRC allegations occasioned a moment of severe strain, and accusations were once again made by the Rwandan delegation about FARDC collusion with FDLR. Accusations of such collusion have regularly included Kahimbi personally. The Task Force decided that full documentation of all allegations by the GDRC and by the GOR should be referred to the Joint Verification Mechanism as soon as possible. GOR presentation -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Rwandans continue to request detailed Nairobi-process operational plans, and invoked decisions taken at the March 27 Tripartite-Plus Commission meeting in Bujumbura. As other task force members had not seen the communique, the matter was tabled for the next session. The Rwandan delegation had a copy, which was photocopied and distributed. (Note: Under the "Conclusions/Nairobi Communique" section, point 2, the Tripartite-Plus communique states: "It is important that the DRC keep the JMG informed on [its Nairobi] plan with sufficient detail that the JMG can perform its monitoring function and can identify gaps and areas for corrective action." End note.) ¶6. (SBU) The Rwandan delegation reiterated its concern that GDRC operations prioritize ex-FAR/Interahamwe elements along the DRC-Rwandan border. MONUC DDRRR/MDRP -------------- ¶7. (SBU) This was a special agenda item requested by the DRC at the previous session. MONUC DDRRR chief Philip Lancaster had not yet returned, so lower-level staff gave a fairly boiler-plate presentation emphasizing the expansion of "sensibilization" efforts. There was little discussion. ¶8. (SBU) The Rwandan delegation noted that there had been a slight increase in people coming forward for DDRRR and asked if this could be linked to the increase in sensibilization activities. Harold Henkel of the World Bank's MDRP program intervened to say that, according to his research, there is no correlation whatever between sensibilization and surrenders for DDRRR, and it would not ever be possible to draw any such cause-and-effect correlation. In his opinion, returns are motivated by individuals who have decided for whatever reason that they want or need to go home. Neither public information nor the incentives on offer ("you could raise them to $1,000, it wouldn't make any difference") have much effect. People are aware of conditions at home and the procedures for return, they don't need to be told any more. Awareness is not the issue: family reunification and a return "home" is the main driver, individual combinations of a lack of such a desire and of fear of reprisals are the principal countervailing pressure. Other Business -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Once again, no minutes were available from the JMG Envoys last meeting, so no action could be taken on cooperation with the JVT. ¶10. (SBU) In the review of the previous week's minutes, there was discussion of the suggestion the DRC had made that JMG Task Force meetings be skipped in the weeks in which the Special Envoys are to meet. This had been opposed by the Rwandan delegation, and there was some discussion of how the matter should be reflected in the minutes. With the reluctant assent of the DRC, it was decided, in order to move things along, that all reference to this idea be obliterated from the record. The thought (which many delegations had actually quite liked) of occasionally skipping a JMG TF meeting thus perished without a trace. GARVELINK