Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09KAMPALA1322
2009-11-17 05:58:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kampala
Cable title:  

UGANDA: DAGNE STAFFDEL MEETINGS WITH MFA AND

Tags:  PREL PGOV PINS PTER EAID UG 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO9922
RR RUEHDE RUEHRN RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKM #1322/01 3210558
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 170558Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1951
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 0998
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KAMPALA 001322 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS PTER EAID UG
SUBJECT: UGANDA: DAGNE STAFFDEL MEETINGS WITH MFA AND
DEFENSE MINISTRY

REF: A. KAMPALA 01139

B. KAMPALA 01164

C. KAMPALA 01276

Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Aaron Sampson for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KAMPALA 001322

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS PTER EAID UG
SUBJECT: UGANDA: DAGNE STAFFDEL MEETINGS WITH MFA AND
DEFENSE MINISTRY

REF: A. KAMPALA 01139

B. KAMPALA 01164

C. KAMPALA 01276

Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Aaron Sampson for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: The Congressional Research Service's Africa
Specialist Ted Dagne discussed northern Uganda, the 2011
elections, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA),and Somalia with
the Minister for International Affairs and the Minister of
Defense on November 9. The Minister for International
Affairs described security in the north as "absolutely
fantastic," and expressed concern about opposition parties'
willingness to use violence during the 2011 elections. Both
Ministers said the LRA is nearly finished, and advocated for
an expanded and more aggressive African Union Mission in
Somalia (AMISOM). The Defense Minister said Ugandan forces
sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to track the
LRA are now looking to target the Allied Democratic Front
(ADF),apparently without DRC approval. End Summary.

--------------
Northern Uganda "Fantastic"
--------------


2. (C) State Minister for International Affairs Henry Okello
Oryem described security in northern Uganda as "absolutely
fantastic" and said that after three years of continued
peace, the north is as secure as the rest of Uganda. Noting
that he himself hails from the northern town of Kitgum, Oryem
said all of the north's 18 districts have submitted their
requests for funding to $600 million Peace Recovery and
Development Plan (PRDP),and that the Office of the Prime
Minister is in the process of disbursing PRDP funds (ref. A).
Oryem said authorities encountered problems convincing
selected groups of orphans and youth to leave internally
displaced persons (IDP) camps, and is working to identify
methods of supporting youth who grew up in IDP camps and are
unfamiliar with rural village life. He said the north is in
desperate need of roads, schools, infrastructure, and
electrification.

--------------
2011 Elections - Not so Fantastic
--------------


3. (C) Oryem told Dagne and Ambassador Lanier that Uganda is

already consumed by early campaigning for 2011, and expressed
concerns about opposition willingness to incite violence.
Referring to the deadly September 10-12 riots in Kampala that
left more than two dozen people dead, Oryem said he recently
asked the French Ambassador for riot gear and crowd
management training, but that the French Ambassador "didn't
appreciate" the request. Oryem praised the dialogue between
President Museveni and the Buganda King (ref. B),and said
problems between the central government and Buganda will soon
be resolved. Oryem said elections in East Africa are
unpredictable, that no one accepts results, and that poverty
and poor education lead to violence. He said he frequently
speaks with opposition leaders, encouraging them to craft
real policy platforms to win the "hearts and minds" of
Ugandans. Oryem complained that opposition leaders are
threatening to take up arms in the bush if things don't go
their way. "We are fed up with this bush business," he said,
noting that northerners, businessmen, property owners and
others are no longer interested in violence.

--------------
Sudan and the CPA
--------------


4. (C) Oryem said Uganda has good relations with Sudan, but
urged the U.S. to pressure Khartoum to resolve problems in
Darfur and implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
He said Uganda is very concerned that Khartoum is not making
an effort to implement the CPA, and that Uganda tried and
failed to get officials from Khartoum, Southern Sudan, and
the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to
discuss these issues on the margins of the Oct. 19-24 IDP
summit in Kampala. Oryem warned that the Sudanese elections
and referendum are rapidly approaching, that anything that
happens in Southern Sudan directly impacts Uganda, and that
the CPA is the only prescription for averting potential war.

--------------

KAMPALA 00001322 002 OF 002


Somalia
--------------


5. (C) Oryem and Defense Minister Kiyonga reiterated
President Museveni's recent statements to Assistant Secretary
Carson that Uganda remains committed to AMISOM and desires
increased support for an expanded presence in Somalia (ref.
C). Oryem said other nations should also send peace keeping
forces, and that Uganda wants to change the rules of
engagement to enable AMISOM to take offensive action if
threatened. He said Uganda is willing to dedicate more
troops, and that the international community needs to
convince Qatar and others to stop supporting al Shabaab.
Minister Kiyonga said Uganda offered to assume the lead role
in coordinating the training of Somali troops, and that
Uganda is encouraging the Transitional Federal Government
(TFG) to reach out to citizens by providing government
services. Kiyonga said Somali forces require at minimum 6
months of training. He also said AMISOM forces need improved
force protection, airport security, and boats to secure
Mogadishu port.


6. (C) Both men emphasized that the status quo in Somalia is
unacceptable to Uganda as the enemy is picking up new
adherents while AMISOM is spending more all the time without
progress. They noted that the current situation is not
sustainable and that Uganda is looking for a longer term
policy from the international community that will allow
AMISOM to take action to defeat al Shabaab.

--------------
DRC, LRA, and ADF
--------------


7. (C) Oryem said time is running out for the LRA. He said
the LRA is scattered, with no command or control structures,
and therefore also hard to find. Defense Minister Kiyonga
agreed that the LRA is rapidly nearing its end. Kiyonga said
Uganda has received some signals that the ADF is regrouping
in DRC along Uganda's south-western border. He said Uganda
is just monitoring the ADF for now but that it is a mistake
for Uganda and others with an interest in eastern DRC to
focus solely on the LRA. Kiyonga asserted that there are
other "negative" forces in eastern DRC, such as the ADF, and
that Uganda needs a more robust security program vis-a-vis
its western neighbor.

--------------
Comment: Uganda Moving Beyond the LRA?
--------------


8. (C) Okello Oryem and Kiyonga's comments on military
related matters closely mirrored those of President Museveni,
whose views on increased support for AMISOM and an expanded
mandate for peace keeping forces in Mogadishu have clearly
filtered down to the Ministries of Defense and Foreign
Affairs. One new twist is Kiyonga's focus on the ADF.
Uganda increased the number of troops along its south-western
border with DRC in late October in response to rumors -
spread by the Resident District Councilor in Kasese - of as
many as 400 ADF rebels training in DRC for a possible
incursion into Uganda. In a meeting in Kasese on November 9,
senior Ugandan and Congolese military officers allegedly hit
an impasse over Congolese objections to Uganda's inclusion of
a slide on the ADF in a presentation on LRA-related
activities in the DRC. According to local press reports, the
Congolese delegation protested that the ADF has nothing to do
with the LRA and must be discussed separately. As the LRA
fades away, Ugandan forces may be fishing for a new reason to
keep some residual forces in eastern DRC.
LANIER