AMBASSADOR'S TRAVEL TO KAGA BANDORO RESTRICTED BY CARG

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGUI 000085

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/C
PARIS FOR RKANEDA
LONDON FOR PLORD
AFRICOM FOR KOCH

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR CT
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S TRAVEL TO KAGA BANDORO RESTRICTED BY CARG


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On Thursday, March 26, 2009, Ambassador and
visiting AFRICOM officer departed Bangui, bound for the town of
Kaga Bandoro to visit the various Central African and
international organizations working in the region. Kaga Bandoro
sits on one of the fault lines of conflict in the CAR and is a
major hub of NGO activity. Most recently, Kaga Bandoro has been
the site of new conflict between mysterious Chadian `horsemen'
and the APRD. Thirty kilometers short of Kaga Bandoro, the
Ambassador's party was stopped at an improvised Gendarme road
block and ordered to turn back to the last town because `unknown
persons' were crossing the road and posed a potential threat to
the Ambassador's party. In the course of the evening this was
changed to an order to return to Bangui, under escort, because
of `insecurity' Ambassador and party returned to Bangui the next
day. END SUMMARY

==========
BACKGROUND
==========

2. (SBU) Recently, Kaga Bandoro has been in the news because of
new conflict between Fulani herders, their CAR/Chadian
`servants/slaves' and the APRD, one of the largest rebel
movements in the CAR. According to the most reasonable sources -
after the servants objected to their working conditions/pay, the
Fulani killed several in punishment. The survivors then appealed
to the APRD, the only effective law and order in the region, for
support. The APRD, in turn, killed some of the Fulani, who, in
their turn, appealed for help from Chadian Arabs. Upon the
arrival of the Chadians, three villages were burned as they
attempted to search for the APRD. (All of these details must be
taken with great care, and most are probably wrong, but the
bottom line is that the Chadian embassy confirmed that five of
their citizens were killed and everyone agrees that three
villages were burned.) The result is about 2,000 new IDP's split
between the Baptist Mid Mission compound (a U.S. missionary
group) and other locations around Kaga Bandoro.

========
THE TRIP
========

3. (SBU) Ambassador departed Bangui on March 26th accompanied by
Major Christopher Koch, the CAR desk officer from AFRICOM. The
goal, as mentioned to the Central African Government (CARG),
including the Army Chief of Staff and the Vice Minister of
Defense, was to visit MICOPAX/FACA, the NGO community, US
missionary activities, and the CARG in Kaga Bandoro. Noting the
CARG's sensitivity to the Ambassador's travel to Ndele, the
Ambassador made a point of mentioning this travel on every
occasion. However, consistent with past practice, Post did
not/not send a Diplomatic Note to either request or notify the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the trip. The DCM, MO, USAID,
etc. have visited the area a number of times without incident
and as Maj. Koch was here to review the possibilities of US
engagement in security sector reform; this seemed a reasonable
place to start understanding the realities of military
operations on the ground in CAR.


4. (SBU) About thirty kilometers south of Kaga Bandoro, the
Ambassador and party were stopped at an improvised Gendarme road
block and told that it was too dangerous to continue - unknown
armed men had been seen on the road. It did not take long to
discover that:

-- None of the Gendarmes were in uniform (other than web gear
and weapons) because they had arrived from Kaga Bandoro only
minutes before.

-- No one in the village had seen or heard anything unusual in
the area.


5. (SBU) The Gendarme commander identified himself as the
commander of the Kaga Bandoro region and although the Ambassador
offered to wait until the morning, he was told to backtrack some
forty kilometers to Dekoa. The embassy party returned to Dekoa,
found a place to camp, and planned retire for the night. That
evening the Gendarme commander returned and showed a telegraphic
order which directed him to, `stop [lit. `evince'] the mission
of the US ambassador' and return him to Bangui under escort due

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to `insecurity' in the area. The Ambassador replied that that
this was very serious matter and would have to be discussed
further in the morning. The Gendarmes left.


6. (SBU) In the morning, after telephonic consultation with the
DCM, the Ambassador decided to return to Bangui; not waiting for
an `escort'. At Sibut he was again stopped and told that we must
be escorted. He declined the escort; politely, but firmly. (The
local commander recognized the Ambassador from a Trafficking in
Persons seminar in Bangui and was willing to accept the
situation, apologizing that he was following orders.) The party
arrived in Bangui without further incident.


7. (SBU) In Bangui, the embassy reached out to the Vice Minister
of Defense, Francis Bozize (The son of President Francois
Bozize) to ask about the Major's upcoming trip to Bouar. We were
referred to the Chief of Staff who said that it would be
permitted as long as:

-- That the party included a FACA escort officer, and,

-- That the party made no stops en route. Specifically, a
planned stop in Bossembele, site of a mysterious prison break in
January 2009, was refused.

=========
FALL OUT
=========

8. (SBU) As this trip to Kaga Bandoro had been discussed with
the Minister Delegue for Defense and the Chief of Staff during
the DATT's visit the week before, it is reasonable to assume
that the decision to stop the trip was taken at the last minute
by President Bozize. Possibly as an expression of his
displeasure at what he may see as the Embassy willfully ignoring
his warning not to travel outside Bangui without requesting
permission. (A warning delivered to the Ambassador personally
and repeated through the Foreign Minister.)

-- It is clear that there was no insecurity in Kaga Bandoro, as
the road remained open and indeed, the Prefet was calling us
asking where we were. No other traffic was stopped. It is also
possible that the CARG believed that the Ambassador was
returning to the Ndele region.

-- Embassy accepted the `restrictions' on the trip to Bouar as
1) Maj. Koch was already in country, 2) the escort officer was a
former IMET officer whom Post wanted to meet.

As reported SEPTEL, the CARG has now sent out a circular
Diplomatic Note which requires all Chiefs of Mission and their
`collaborators' to inform the Foreign Ministry of all travel to
zones which are `under tension' (lit. sous tension). No such
zones have been identified as yet. END SUMMARY
COOK