NEW DETAILS IN CABINDA SHOOTING POINT TO POLITICAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LUANDA 000081 SIPDIS SIPDIS NCS PASS TO PITTMAN/LEO E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL ASEC KSAC AO SUBJECT: NEW DETAILS IN CABINDA SHOOTING POINT TO POLITICAL MOTIVATION REF: 07 LUANDA 01281 Classified By: AMB DAN MOZENA FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. SUMMARY: (C) On January 18, Roberto Ferreira, Chevron's Superintendent of Security in Cabinda (protect),relayed to RSO and PolOff additional information on the December 26 shooting death of a Brazilian national in Cabinda Province (reftel). His report (unconfirmed) paints a picture of the deliberate killing of an expatriate oil industry worker (employed by the U.S. company Geokinetics) by a small group of well armed anti-GRA insurgents. The GRA has made no public statement on the attack, but has privately assured Chevron security that those responsible have been detained. The mix of increasing on-shore oil exploration in Cabinda and some well-armed locals discontent with their political and economic fortunes could spark more such tragic incidents in the future. END SUMMARY ¶2. (C) According to information received by the well-connected Chevron Superintendent of Security in Cabinda from both official and unofficial sources, the incident occurred near an onshore exploration area approximately 70 kilometers north of Cabinda City. In the early morning of December 26, up to six young men dressed in mixed civilian and military attire and armed with AK 47s and an RPG attacked a small group of Angolans who had stayed overnight at the onshore oil exploration site. The Angolans, employees of a Brazilian seismic testing company, were stripped naked and robbed. The attackers then set up an ambush in the area's lone access road and attacked the Brazilian and his driver as they arrived at the site. They too were stripped and robbed; the Brazilian was also verbally harangued for stealing Angolan jobs and resources, while the attackers took pictures and video footage. The attackers set fire to the Brazilian's Land Cruiser; the resulting smoke alerted another approaching vehicle, which reversed down the access road as the attackers fired an RPG round towards it. The round missed, and the vehicle fled to the nearest military camp to report the incident. At this point the attackers killed the Brazilian with a gunshot wound to the chest and fled on foot into the densely forested surrounding area, leaving pro-FLEC pamphlets in their wake. The other victims were not harmed. No Public Response From the GRA -------------- ¶3. (C) As with most incidents in Cabinda, the GRA has not publicly responded. FAA insiders informed Chevron that FAA commanders received a letter calling the attack "only the beginning" and threatening additional attacks. FAA sources also told Chevron the attackers were also responsible for several attacks on police outposts in the area in the days surrounding the Brazilian's death, and that the attackers had been captured and detained by the authorities. There has been no public confirmation of an investigation or arrests. ¶4. (C) Chevron has already taken steps to review and strengthen its security procedures and restrict travel outside the Malongo operating base. Ferreira pointed out, however, that while the large oil companies are concerned by these security incidents, smaller oil companies are more likely targets for attacks due to their involvement in onshore (vs. offshore) exploration activities; these same small companies are also less likely to have or enforce strict security guidelines. Ferreira said that, according to FAA and police sources, the company had not notified nearby FAA or police units that its officials would be traveling in the area, and they did not ask for security escorts, an act Ferreira called "unwise." Potential Fallout for Brazil -------------- ¶5. (C) Brazilian Embassy officials told Poloff the GRA's handling of the incident is affecting their bi-lateral relationship. The death certificate issued by the GRA states only that the victim died of a gunshot wound; his Brazilian insurance policy requires proof that the wound was not self-inflicted. Provincial government authorities have flatly refused to respond to the Brazilian Embassy's request for an official statement clarifying the cause of death, and MIREX also has yet to respond. The Brazilian ambassador separately told Ambassador Mozena of his mounting frustration over the GRA's failure to provide information on the incident. The death was widely covered in Brazilian newspapers; their Embassy fears the issue could become more threatening to the bilateral relationship should the LUANDA 00000081 002 OF 002 Brazilian media run the story of a widow unable to receive a death settlement because of the GRA's refusal provide information about the killing and the political context in which it occurred. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: Given the GRA's lid on security information from Cabinda, we are unable to quantify or qualify the nature of the threat there and the efficacy of the GRA's response. Reports of sporadic insurgent activity targeting the FAA and police have been coming out of Cabinda since July 2007. Now, however, the increasing movement of oil workers engaged in on-shore exploration gives anti-GRA elements easy targets to generate international attention to their cause. The mix of increasing on-shore oil exploration in Cabinda and some well-armed locals discontent with their political and economic fortunes could spark more such tragic incidents in the future. End Comment. MOZENA