GOMA NOTES 04/01/08 - GOMA PROCESS: NORTH KIVU ARMED GROUPS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000336 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL CG SUBJECT: GOMA NOTES 04/01/08 - GOMA PROCESS: NORTH KIVU ARMED GROUPS (BACK) ON BOARD ¶1. (SBU) Summary: North Kivu "native" (non-Tutsi) armed groups agreed to remain in the Goma process following considerable agitation about their share of positions in the Amani Program. A principal point of contention was objections by PARECO's (Hutu) Goma representative over the unexpected appointment of a (Nande) PARECO member to fill a position originally designated for a (Hunde) adviser of the North Kivu governor. After a day-long, contentious meeting among themselves, it turned out everyone else was apparently fine with the appointment and thought it was in fact a perfectly sensible choice. As long as there a reasonable prospect of salaries and per diems being paid, the armed groups will be at the table and threats of walk-outs by them should probably not cause too much sleep to be lost by anyone. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) The North Kivu "native" armed groups ("groupes armes autochtones") came back on board with the Goma process April 1, following a day-long, contentious meeting among themselves. Elements within PARECO, the Kifuafua Mai-Mai and others have been complaining for weeks about the lack of respect they feel they have been shown in the allocation of positions within the "Amani" Program structures, and there was considerable agitation within their ranks for a pullout. ¶3. (SBU) The imminence of the opening of the Joint Technical Commission on Peace and Security (JTCPS) appears to have concentrated minds, and the April 1 meeting was meant to reach a common position on a series of grievances: -- Their overall perceived lack of representation relative to the GRDC and CNDP. While each armed group has one seat on the JTCPS, a number of new posts (including that of permanent secretary) had been created to enhance (yes, it's true) CNDP's position relative to the rest. While the situation had not been explained to the groups in quite those terms, that is, rightly, how they understood it. -- The new position available to them, one of three North Kivu seats on the six-member "Bureau technique d'harmonisation," was not filled by their designated candidate, Clovis Munihire, the governor's liaison to the armed groups. Munihire was made permanent secretary of a parallel Amani structure, the Peace and SIPDIS Reconciliation Commission (which will be co-chaired by the U.S. on behalf of the International Facilitation). Firmin Mathe, of the Nande branch of PARECO, had been appointed instead, and this apparently disrupted the ethnic balance within PARECO, leading some within its Hutu branch to threaten a walk-out even though the appointment had given their group an extra seat at the table. -- Most or all of the "native" (a pointed characterization to differentiate them from the Tutsi-dominated CNDP) representatives have been hanging around Goma since February 3, when per diems for the Goma conference ended, waiting for the JTCPS to get started, and they long ago ran out of money. They are demanding retroactive per diems so that they can pay their outstanding hotel bills. ¶4. (SBU) The first two grievances provided handy pretexts for a walk-out for those who felt uneasy with the process; the latter, when thought about, rather provided a strong impetus for staying in, since a complete walk-out would probably have meant the loss of any hope that per diems would be paid, leading to unpleasantness with Goma innkeepers, some of whom have the ability in turn to cause unpleasantness to their debtors beyond the confines of Goma. ¶5. (SBU) All of this provided plenty of grounds for heated, or at least lengthy, argument, and this duly lasted from around 10:00 until shortly after 5:00, following which Munihire (who was playing his usual role as referee among the armed groups) stopped by the USAID Democracy Resource Center to announce that the day had been saved for good sense and that all North Kivu armed groups were on board for the April 3 launch of the JTCPS. ¶6. (SBU) Whether it was indeed good sense or just the outstanding hotel bills that prevailed in the end wasn't clear, but the meeting produced two documents. The first is a rant whose central complaint is that the groups have been "...excluded from the decision-making structures of the Amani Program" at all levels, which goes to request that consideration be given to correcting this situation in the future and that greater respect be granted to them in the allocation of positions at the provincial level. The key phrase comes at the end of the document: "Remaining in the Peace Process, we ask..." and they all signed, rather disrespectfully. The other document is a very respectful request that per diem be made retroactive to February 3 so that they all can pay their outstanding hotel bills. KINSHASA 00000336 002 OF 002 ¶7. (SBU) The principal agitator appears to have been "Museveni," the "President" (but in fact mostly the Goma rep) of PARECO, who had been sent into a frenzy by the appointment of Mathe to the technical harmonization bureau and had taken it upon himself to threaten a PARECO walk-out if this nefarious Nande plot was not undone. According to Munihire (whose view is obviously a bit biased, since it lets him off the hook),it became clear that Museveni had no support for this position: everyone else was apparently fine with Mathe's appointment and thought it was, in fact, a perfectly sensible choice. ¶8. (SBU) Museveni is not only a troublemaker and a loose cannon, however: he can also be quite reasonable and has been the key PARECO person in the establishment of the three exclusion zones created this month with CNDP. PARECO itself had nominated him to fill its slot in the North Kivu Provincial Management Committee, and by all accounts he will be duly appointed to it. So, at Munihire's urging, the Facilitation agreed to meet with Museveni that following day, to try to cool him down and talk some sense into him. ¶9. (SBU) Comment. But everyone in Goma knows that when one volcano cools off, another blows up. There will no doubt be plenty more of these little dramas to come. The main lesson here, though, is that, as long as there a reasonable prospect of salaries and per diems being paid, the armed groups will be at the table, and threats of walk-outs by them should probably not cause too much sleep to be lost by anyone. End comment. GARVELINK