ENGAGING ANGOLA TO GET SERIOUS ON PROTECTING HUMAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LUANDA 000368 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL AO SUBJECT: ENGAGING ANGOLA TO GET SERIOUS ON PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS ¶1. (SBU) Summary: During the Ambassador's May 7 call on Minister of the Interior, General Roberto Leal Monteiro "Ngongo," the Minister acknowledged Angola's human rights challenges and the need for the GRA to tell more effectively how it intends to tackle these problems. He accepted that the impending closure of the U.N. Human Rights Office made this necessity even more urgent. Specifically, Mozena urged that the GRA release publicly its promised investigation of human rights abuses against illegal Congolese immigrants (as reported by Medecins Sans Frontieres(MSF)) and on politically-motivated killings of expatriates in Cabinda. Ngongo was not forthcoming on either. Ngongo welcomed the Ambassador's invitation for the Ministry to send an observer to the monthly meetings of Luanda's Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). End Summary. -------------- Our Pitch on Human Rights -------------- ¶2. (SBU) During his May 7 call on Minister Ngongo, Ambassador Mozena said it was in the GRA's interest to engage domestic audiences and the international community more vigorously to acknowledge Angola's human rights problems and to describe steps Angola has taken and intends to take to protect human rights and investigate alleged abuses. Mozena said the Ministry should not be afraid to speak openly with NGOs, including those the GRA may not especially like, and that it should increase public engagement through the press. Ngongo acknowledged Angola's many human rights challenges and agreed that the absence of information concerning Angolan actions to protect human rights allows critics to shape the dialogue with negative impressions that may not tell the whole story. The Ambassador extended an invitation to the Minister to provide input to the annual human rights report, which offers an objective analysis of the human rights situation. He added it was especially important for Angola to engage publicly on these issues, given the government's recent decision to close the UN Human Rights Office in Angola. At the Minister's suggestion, we will pursue our human rights agenda with the Vice Minister for the Protection of Human Rights. -------------- Invitation to Observe OSAC -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The Ambassador extended an invitation to Ngongo to send a representative of his Ministry, which bears primary responsibility for public security, to the monthly meetings of Luanda's Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). Ngongo accepted the offer and said he would appoint a liaison soon after receiving an official invitation. Ngongo added that the opportunity to participate as an observer in OSAC would help the Ministry better understand and address the security concerns of U.S. companies. -------------- Ngongo Offers No Rebuttal to MSF Report -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Ambassador raised U.S. concerns that the promised GRA investigation into alleged human rights violations against illegal Congolese immigrants outlined in the December 2007 Medecins Sans Frontieres report had not been released. Ngongo did not confirm that an investigation had been conducted or whether the results would ever be released. He did explain the difficulties Angola faces in controlling its porous border along the DRC against economic migrants drawn to the alluvial diamond mines. He said the events discussed in the MSF report involved the repatriation of over 40,000 Congolese, some of whom resisted deportation. Ngongo said it was understandable that the police would respond to resistance with some force. Despite the Ambassador's repeated queries, Ngongo did not address the atrocities mentioned in the report, and he blamed the illegal immigration problem on organized rings of immigrant smugglers. Ngongo suggested that some critics of the deportations included members of the DRC government involved in the trafficking of workers to take advantage of the unregulated alluvial diamond mines in Angola. -------------- Violence in Cabinda -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Ngongo said he is the GRA's designated liaison with Cabinda. He told the Ambassador he knows the region well, especially since his mother is from Cabinda. Ngongo said he is aware that pockets of instability exist in Cabinda and that he understands the concerns of businesses based there. LUANDA 00000368 002 OF 002 He firmly declared that the armed conflict in Cabinda ended with the 2006 Memorandum of Understanding and that the current violence was most likely caused by well- funded individual actors who organized groups of criminals to carry out mischief. He said some of the criminals were likely former members of disbanded Cabinda-based guerrilla groups. Ngongo did not say how the organizers funded their operations, or what they hoped to gain from the violence other than to embarrass the government or influence in some way upcoming elections. Concerning the December 2007 death of the Brazilian working for a U.S. company, Ngongo said the trial for five criminals responsible for the attack had begun on May 6. It appeared, he told the Ambassador, that the ring leader was an Angolan journalist who had arranged the theft of military arms from a local depot. Ngongo went out of his way to stress that the suspect was an Angolan first and a journalist second. He did not want to leave the impression with the Ambassador that the police routinely arrested journalists without cause. He did not respond to the Ambassador's query as to when the government's promised investigation into the Brazilian's murder in Cabinda would be released. -------------- -------------- Ngongo: Angolans Were Raised in a Culture of Violence -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Throughout his discussion with the Ambassador, Ngongo stressed that successive generations of Angolans have grown up in a culture of violence. Beginning with slavery and the oppression of colonization, Ngongo said the struggle for liberation and then Angola's terrible civil war created a social dynamic based on conflict and violence. Ngongo told the Ambassador this culture of violence affects how people, including the police, handle conflict. He added that he understands that adjustments are needed, and he is working to train the police force on the importance of protecting human rights. Ngongo said it will take time to change the mindset of the Angolan people and to create a culture of peace. Ngongo asked for patience from the international community as Angola makes this transition. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The meeting with Ngongo was frank, substantive, and collegial, in spite of the difficult (from the Angolan perspective) issues covered. We hope the Ministry will send an observer to participate in the monthly OSAC meetings, which will further strengthen that body. The Minister's comments concerning the repatriation of illegal Congolese immigrants and Cabinda were less encouraging. We will continue to engage the Ministry, with the aim that they will come to see that it is to the GRA's advantage to discuss openly and frankly Angola's human rights and security challenges and what its government intends to do to overcome these problems. MOZENA