UN ON DRC: GIVE TROOPS, PRESSURE KAGAME; 85

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001062 C O R R E C T E D COPY (CORRECT PARA'S NUMBERING SECT 2) SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KPKO CG RW SUBJECT: UN ON DRC: GIVE TROOPS, PRESSURE KAGAME; 85 PERCENT OF MONUC NOW IN EAST DRC REF: USUN 1004 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: UN Under-Secretary-General Le Roy on November 11 called on the Security Council to approve rapidly the UN request for more MONUC troops. He warned MONUC was "all alone" in the east and reinforcements were desperately needed to defend Goma and protect civilians. Le Roy said Council members with any influence should press Rwandan President Kagame to pressure the CNDP to stop its attacks. Le Roy asked for advice on how MONUC should address the FDLR considering the DRC army "doesn't exist" in the east. DPKO also conducted a military briefing on November 11, noting MONUC reconfigured its forces to move 85 percent of its troops to North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri, and was now stretched dangerously thin. While the U.S. called the reinforcement of MONUC, the Council appears split in its support. END SUMMARY. MONUC "STANDING ALL ALONE," FARDC IN EAST "DOESN'T EXIST" ¶2. (SBU) UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) Alain Le Roy reiterated MONUC's urgent call for additional troops (ref. A),during closed consultations of the Security Council November 11. Stressing that the situation in east Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) may become worse in the next few weeks, he quoted the DRC foreign minister's allegation that the DRC army (FARDC) now "doesn't exist" in the east for all intents and purposes. Le Roy said FARDC elements offered no resistance to CNDP attacks, and both CNDP and FARDC have been credibly accused of atrocities. MONUC has become the only force capable of protecting civilians in east DRC, "standing all alone," according to Le Roy. He noted MONUC's priorities were to defend Goma and protect civilians. ¶3. (SBU) Le Roy urged the Council to approve rapidly the call for troop reinforcements, made through UN Secretary-General Ban on October 31. One of the two requested battalions, he noted, would be a reserve force for all of MONUC. DPKO said the other battalion would reinforce North Kivu, and the Special Forces would be used as a rapid reaction force. DPKO stressed the need for MONUC to become flexible again, having lost its ability to respond rapidly as it has become entrenched in fixed locations protecting civilians. Le Roy compared MONUC to when he was in the Balkans, where the �A;international community in Kosovo had more than twice MONUC's troops (40,000) to protect a country one-hundredth the size of the DRC. ¶4. (SBU) Le Roy expressed the need for broad security sector reform, which would take, in his opinion, three to five years to train a competent FARDC, but warned the current crisis needed immediate attention. He noted MONUC was reconfiguring as best it could without reinforcements, but needed additional assets as soon as possible to fulfill its mandate. PRESSURE KAGAME TO PRESSURE NKUNDA ¶5. (SBU) Le Roy and all Council members said the only lasting solution was a political one. Le Roy requested everyone with any influence on Rwandan President Kagame to call on him to pressure General Nkunda and the CNDP to stop attacks, return to its August 28 positions, and respect all previous agreements. Le Roy said it was Kagame's pressure on Nkunda that led to the October 29 CNDP unilateral ceasefire. Le Roy was concerned by Nkunda's newly announced plan to form a new government in North Kivu. Le Roy noted Special Envoy Obasanjo planned to go to the region November 14. BAN ENCOURAGES KABILA AND KAGAME TO INCREASE COOPERATION ¶6. (SBU) Le Roy briefed the Council on the plan discussed in Nairobi November 7 with UN Secretary-General Ban, President Kabila, and President Kagame. The "roadmap," developed in early November by the Rwandan and DRC foreign ministers and consistent with the Goma and Nairobi agreements, calls for: normalized bilateral relations between the DRC and Rwanda; an integration of the CNDP into the FARDC; the disarmament of the FDLR; and verification mechanisms. Kabila is supportive of this plan, Kagame is considering it. Kagame and Kabila agreed to continue weekly foreign minister meetings, alternating between capitals, to enhance bilateral dialogue. Ban invited both to participate in a trilateral meeting with him; Kabila accepted, Kagame declined. DRC ASKS MONUC TO LEAD ACTION AGAINST FDLR, DPKO SEEKS CLARITY ¶7. (SBU) Le Roy said one root cause of the regional conflict was the continued presence of the Hutu rebel group FDLR. The FDLR, Le Roy said, had been surprisingly quiet during this recent violence, until the last 72 hours when it had been seen with Hutu rebel groups fighting against the CNDP. ¶8. (SBU) Le Roy reported that the GDRC, in a change of plan, recently asked MONUC to lead the operations against the FDLR, instead of conducting mandate-approved joint FARDC/MONUC operations. Alleging the lack of a functioning DRC army in the east, Le Roy has asked for guidance from the Security Council regarding this request and how it would fit under its current mandate. Le Roy expressed reservation regarding MONUC becoming an attacking force, as he thought that would compromise its ability to protect civilians and make its bases more vulnerable to rebel attacks. Le Roy believed troop contributing countries would be reticent to accept an attack mandate. MOST MONUC FORCES NOW IN EAST DRC, FEW REINFORCEMENTS LEFT ¶9. (SBU) The DPKO technical briefing on November 11 said there are currently 2,480 MONUC troops in Goma, including 300 Guatemalan Special Forces. An additional 300 troops are expected to arrive in Goma by November 22. Four attack helicopters are now in Goma (vice three),and four more are within an hour's flight (being based in Ituri and South Kivu). The current locations of MONUC's troops in DRC following recent reconfigurations are: 38% in North Kivu (5,817 troops) 23% in South Kivu (3,512 troops) 24% in Ituri (3,769 troops) 5% in Katanga (794 troops) 5% in Western Brigade/Kinshasa (830 troops) 4% in Kisangani (677 troops) Total troops in DRC = 15,505. ¶10. (SBU) To reinforce Goma further, DPKO is considering sending Benin's troops in Katanga, Nepal's troops in Ituri, or Pakistan's troops in South Kivu, noting each move would further weaken MONUC in the losing region. Again, with no other reinforcements in country, DPKO urged the Council's rapid approval and deployment of additional troops. ¶11. (SBU) The UK asked whether MONUC was fully staffed to its mandate limit of 17,030 troops, noting the briefing total shared was only 15,505 troops. DPKO said it would investigate the apparent troop number discrepancy, but believed the difference was minor. DPKO warned the MONUC report, due November 19, might be late, as it was taking into account the most recent events in the east. U.S. SUPPORTS MONUC REINFORCEMENT ¶12. (SBU) Ambassador DiCarlo noted rapid deployment of troops was necessary to be effective in responding to this current crisis. Noting the situation on the ground appeared to be deteriorating, she said special attention should be given to the troops that could be deployed quickly to help, such as the infantry battalions and the Special Forces. She said it was quite clear MONUC needed to be reinforced. DiCarlo said the CNDP and FDLR must be addressed in parallel to have any lasting effect. She asked Le Roy if MONUC was able to open humanitarian corridors to protect civilians in a better manner. Le Roy responded that MONUC had a robust existing mandate to protect civilians, but repeated the need for additional resources to allow flexibility in response to threats to civilians. SECURITY COUNCIL SPLIT REGARDING MORE MONUC TROOPS ¶13. (SBU) The Council appears split regarding support for MONUC's troop increase request. South Africa, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Panama, and Costa Rica vocally supported an increase. France and Indonesia appeared to hedge support. The UK and Russia stressed MONUC should maximize its current force abilities. ¶14. (SBU) South African PermRep Kumalo said it "was ready to help in any way," and MONUC "needs to be strengthened to face these challenges." Kumalo said MONUC was now in a difficult position since MONUC is required to support the FARDC in its mandate, but there is no effective FARDC in the east for it to support. Burkinabe PermRep Kafando also said the mandate should be revised if needed to make MONUC more effective. ¶15. (SBU) French PermRep Ripert said an EU force was not feasible, and MONUC should be supported within its mandate. He called the current situation "one of the most serious crises" ever in the DRC, but said France would consider options and reinforcements after the Council received the SYG's report (due November 19). UK PermRep Sawers said all groups must be addressed, saying the CNDP and the FDLR exist almost symbiotically. He called for a clear strategy to address the rebel groups, but did not/not want MONUC to take the place of the FARDC. MONUC must, according to Sawers, support the FARDC. Khalilzad