UGANDA/DRC: OPERATION RUDIA II UPDATE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KAMPALA 000454 NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/19 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM MOPS MARR UG CG SU SUBJECT: UGANDA/DRC: OPERATION RUDIA II UPDATE Classified By: P/E Chief Kathleen FitzGibbon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: This cable is a periodic update on the regional military operation against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) known as Operation Rudia II. This report is not meant to provide an overarching narrative or polished analysis of OLT, but rather offers spot information gleaned in Uganda only, from credible U.S. Mission sources here. We recognize the regional scope of Rudia II and the fact that our sources may be limited in their knowledge and perspective on the operation. End Summary. - - - - - - - - - - MILITARY SITUATION - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (S NF) The Ugandan People,s Defense Forces (UPDF) continues to make deliberate and steady progress against LRA targets, particularly the leadership group. Since March 15, when the mission was transformed to Rudia II, the UPDF has rescued 16 abductees, killed 32 LRA fighters, and captured two combatants. DATT learned that the Congolese military has given the UPDF permission to operate against the group led by LRA Lt. Col. Charles Arop, which is located southwest of Faradje. ¶3. (C) The UPDF cleared CARITAS, a Catholic charity, of involvement in the incident where the Sudan People,s Liberation Army (SPLA) seized thirteen trucks of food bound for Doruma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The investigation revealed that the trucks were carrying false documentation which implicated CARITAS. The trucks were commissioned by a Kampala-based Belgian businessman. UPDF Army Spokesman Felix Kulayigye said that the businessman was detained in Yambio, southern Sudan, but was bailed out by Els De Temmerman, a Belgian national and editor of the New Vision newspaper. The businessman has returned to Uganda and remains under investigation. - - - - - - - - - - - - POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (C) On April 24, Government of Southern Sudan Vice President Riek Machar stopped over in Uganda and proposed a conference to do a "post mortem" on the joint military action against the LRA. Minister of State for International Relations Henry Okello Oryem reported that the Government of Uganda (GOU) declined on the grounds that the operation is ongoing. Oryem said that the GOU remains suspicious of Machar's intentions. It appears LRA spokesman David 
Matsanga, who is having little success in stopping the military operation, is urging Machar to re-insert himself into the defunct peace process. ¶5. (C) Sudan's Presidential Advisor on Foreign Affairs, Mustafa Ousman Ismail, discussed the LRA when he visited Uganda on April 17 to meet with President Museveni, according to Oryem. Ismail's primary purpose was to talk about the International Criminal Court indictment against Sudanese President Omar Bashir. P/E Chief learned that during the meeting, Mustafa assured Museveni that Bashir had ended Khartoum's support for the LRA. (Note: Ugandan officials reported that at the African Union Summit in January, Bashir told Museveni that Khartoum was no longer aiding the LRA. End Note.) Mustafa reportedly told Museveni that there are disgruntled Sudanese military and intelligence officials that could be aiding their former LRA contacts, according to Museveni's newly appointed Minister of State for Information, Communications, and Technology, Aggrey Awori. Museveni tasked Awori to serve as the go-between with Mustafa on LRA and ICC indictment issues. (Comment: P/E Chief was initially surprised at Awori's involvement, but later saw Awori accompanying Mustafa at a football match on April 17. Awori explained to P/E Chief that Museveni by-passes institutional channels to conduct personal diplomacy through people he trusts. We will follow up with Awori for more details. End Comment.) - - - - - - - - - - - HUMANITARIAN ISSUES - - - - - - - - - - - ¶6. (C) The UPDF worked with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to clarify the process of returning abductees and combatants from DRC. On April 9, Megan Rock, Protection Officer from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told P/E Chief that since the transfer of command of the joint military operation on March 15, the process through KAMPALA 00000454 002 OF 002 which ex-combatants, escapees, and others returned home from the LRA had become "chaotic." She said that when the UPDF had its headquarters in Dungu, the process through which NGOs provided assistance to the ex-combatants and former abductees was clear-cut and well-known. Once the Ugandan military pulled its headquarters out of Dungu, there was no clear system in place. As a result, NGOs found that ex-combatants and abductees were being returned to Uganda (including non-Ugandans) through West Nile, Gulu, and Kampala, making it difficult for the returnees to receive assistance. DATT raised these concerns with Lt.Gen. Wamala, the Commander of UPDF Land Forces. He informed us that the UPDF would meet with the NGOs to address their concerns. ¶7. (C) On April 23, the UDPF, the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, the Amnesty Commission, and relevant non-governmental and international organizations (UNICEF, International Organization for Migration (IOM),Save the Children, and ICRC) met to map out a clearer return process and the roles of each of the players. Rock reported that the UPDF would hand over ex-combatants and abductees to the Amnesty Commission, which would then notify the relevant organization (UNICEF for children, IOM for adults). The returnees would receive medical screening and services, family tracing, and other immediate assistance. Any Congolese that made it to Uganda would also be assisted and repatriated. The non-governmental organizations were satisfied with the arrangement. The UPDF named a point-of-contact to coordinate the returnees. - - - - OTHER - - - - ¶8. (U) Gulu University sponsored a "Juba Peace Talks: Lessons Learnt Workshop" from April 23-24 to identify lessons that could be applied to future engagement with the stakeholders in the LRA peace process. The conference was well-attended by local politicians, religious and traditional leaders, donors, people from the Diaspora, NGOs, and the media. The Danish Ambassador noted that Kony and the remnants of his forces must be dealt with on a regional basis, with the partners stressing the need to protect civilian populations in DRC and pressing forward on northern Uganda's recovery efforts. Some participants complained that the Acholi Diaspora was "mislabeled" as obstacles to the peace process. UPDF Spokesman Major Felix Kulayigye, who also gave a presentation, cautioned that to the government, the conference appeared to be an attempt to make the case for a re-opening of the peace talks. HOOVER