MONUC PERSPECTIVE ON ARREST OF FDLR PRESIDENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 001022

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/18/2019
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL CG
SUBJECT: MONUC PERSPECTIVE ON ARREST OF FDLR PRESIDENT
IGNACE MURWANASHYAKA

Classified By: William J. Garvelink for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

MONUC: Arrests Will Further Weaken the FDLR
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1. (C) Mathew Brubacher from MONUC's DDRRR Office in Goma
met with TDY Goma PolOff on November 17 to discuss the arrest
of FDLR President Ignace Murwanashyaka and Vice-President
Straton Musoni in Germany on charges of war crimes and crimes
against humanity between January 2008 and July 2009.
Brubacher, who had been in Germany the previous week working
with prosecutors in refining the charges against
Murwanashyaka, maintained that the evidence of
Murwanashyaka's role in the FDLR command and control
structure was "clear-cut." According to Brubacher,
interviews with FDLR in the field and with repatriated FDLR
clearly establish that FDLR military elements clearly take
orders from the slight, soft-spoken Murwanashyaka and query
him before making any important decisions. One ex-FDLR
officer told Brubacher that Murwanashyaka "was like God for
him." According to MONUC, FDLR commanders in the field,
under pressure from the Kimia II military operations, had
recently raised the possibility of laying down their arms and
relocating elsewhere in the DRC or in third countries.
Murwanashyaka however, reportedly forbid any contact with the
GDRC or MONUC, so the commanders gave up on this possibility.


2. (C) While evidence outlining Murwanashyaka's role in the
chain of command was clear, efforts to define FDLR actions as
war crimes were not as far advanced, Brubacher maintained.
Brubacher said that at this point, German authorities have
enough evidence to issue an arrest warrant, but not enough to
prosecute. They will now seek to systematically investigate
and categorize FDLR actions, compiling a list of specific war
crimes to which Murwanashyaka and Musoni can be linked.
Brubacher speculated that the two would most likely be denied
bail, given the severity of the charges and the high risk of
flight. He could not estimate when the trial might take
place.


3. (C) Brubacher said the arrests would probably further
weaken FDLR morale. He added that he would meet with FDLR
leadership contacts this week to inform them of
Murwanashyaka's arrest. Brubacher said he had told the
leadership in previous meetings that the FDLR president would
soon be arrested.

GDRC Calls For More Action Against FDLR Diaspora
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4. (SBU) DRC Communications Minister Lambert Mende welcomed
the arrests, adding that the GDRC hoped this would only be
the beginning of actions taken against FDLR leaders abroad.
According to Mende, there are other FDLR leaders in Europe
who "are coordinating the destabilization of the Eastern
DRC." (Note: many analysts believe that FDLR leadership are
also residing in various DRC cities, including Kinshasa,
Lubumbashi, Bukavu, and Goma. End Note.)

Comment
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5. (C) The arrests come at a time when the FDLR remains
under considerable political and military pressure, and over
1,300 FDLR combatants have been repatriated in 2009.
Operation Kimia II has unarguably pushed the FDLR away from
most of the cassiterite, coltan, and gold mines that the
group formerly controlled, thus disrupting its income flows.
QIn addition, there are various rumors in Kinshasa that FDLR
field commander Sylvestre Mudacumura is seriously ill, or
perhaps even dead. Politically, the group remains isolated.
GARVELINK