40TH MEETING OF THE JMG TASK FORCE

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000804 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS KPKO CG SUBJECT: 40TH MEETING OF THE JMG TASK FORCE ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The 4oth meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group Task Force in Goma was held GIVE DATE. The weapons destruction ceremony planned for the meeting was canceled due to ongoing fighting near Sake. A joint MDPR/DDRRR assessment mission to the RUD disarmament camp in Kasiki revealed that the ex-combatants and their dependents are unlikely to go home soon, as the RUD leadership maintains firm control over the members through threats and disinformation. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) The 40th JMG meeting was put together quickly following the last minute cancellation of the DDRRR weapons destruction ceremony near Sake. The ceremony was canceled due to concerns about ongoing FARDC-CNDP fighting near Sake, as well as the potential panic effect on the population of setting off several large explosions in such close proximity. Two items were put on the agenda for the impromptu meeting: a read-out of the joint MDRP/DDRRR mission to Kasiki and a "housekeeping" discussion in which the JMG members would review accomplishments to date and discuss how to better implement their monitoring mandate. The latter item was then postponed to the 41st meeting since several key EU and AU representatives were absent. ¶3. (SBU) The objective of the MDRP/DDRRR trip to Kasiki was to present to the RUD leadership the recent Kasiki registration results, which indicated that 153 of 156 camp residents (ex-combatants and dependents) want to return to Rwanda. Though jointly run and financed by the GDRC and the Eglise du Christ au Congo (ECC),the camp remains firmly under the control of the RUD political and military leadership. The RUD leadership insisted on the usual list of preconditions for returns, such as an inter-Rwandan dialog, stating they wanted another Arusha-style negotiation. They also demanded a high-level Rwandan delegation be sent to Kasiki to hear them out, first naming Great Lakes Special Envoy Richard Sezibera, but then insisting on President Kagame himself. Before leaving, MDRP and DDRRR left civilian clothes as gifts for the camp residents. During their drive back to Goma they received a call from RUD leadership who claimed the clothes had been poisoned and should be retrieved the next time they returned to the camp. ¶4. (SBU) MDRP stressed to the JMG that the joint visit made it obvious that RUD has never been serious about its commitments made previously to the international community at Kisangani. The GDRC, which had hoped Kasiki would be the beginning of a long-term process, had lost control of the camp and was relatively powerless to get the RUD leadership to cooperate. The GOR delegation reiterated its disappointment with the Kasiki process and argued that through Kasiki, the RUD had been given a political platform to articulate its unrealistic and unjust demands. The Rwandan delegation also complained that Kasiki does not comply with any DDRRR regulations outlined in Security Council Resolution 1355 since the disarmed elements are still in an area under RUD control. The Rwandans demanded forceful measures be applied against the RUD. The GDRC, as well as MDRP, argued that the process has to be given more time, even if only to allow for the repatriation of the 153 willing combatants. The GDRC agreed to think about a new strategy on how to pursue the repatriation of RUD and on how to make sure that Kasiki will remain a transit camp and not become a semi-permanent solution for disarmed RUD combatants. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: The JMG Task Force will need to maintain regular visibility on Kasiki to ensure stakeholders remain engaged and some success is gained from the whole process. However, as evidenced by the comments of the Rwandan delegation, Kasiki has become a convenient fallback argument for the GOR. JMG discussions must therefore be steered in a different direction for the sake of every other issue the JMG is monitoring. The GDRC has suffered a small PR setback because of the problems at Kasiki, particularly after the event was heralded with much fanfare. End Comment. BROCK