LRA UPDATE REPORT - DRC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KINSHASA 001085 SIPDIS KHARTOUM PLS PASS JUBA GENEVA FOR RMA ADDIS FOR REFCOORD KAMPALA FOR REFCOORD NDJAMENA FOR REFCOORD NAIROBI FOR USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREF PGOV PHUM PREL MOPS CG SUBJECT: LRA UPDATE REPORT - DRC REF: STATE 118217 ¶1. Below is information keyed to reftel request. This report represents a compilation of statistics and information from various governmental, non-governmental, MONUC, and press sources. Post cannot fully verify the various information, nor ensure that the information is exhaustive. It represents our best estimate of the current situation. LRA Attacks -------------- ¶2. How many LRA attacks have occurred during the reporting period? Between January and August 2009, a total of 271 attacks targeted the civilian population in the Haut Uele and Bas Uele Districts of Orientale Province. ¶3. How many deaths, casualties, rapes, and abductions due to LRA attacks have been reported? Since January 2009, 1,288 people were killed and an additional 2,079 were abducted with 515 of the abductees being children. According to OCHA, since December 2007, 1,376 civilians have been killed and 2,337 (including 676 children) were abducted. There are rumors that the LRA will launch an attack around Christmas 2009 in the province. ¶4. Where have the attacks occurred? The majority of attacks and civilian population casualties occurred in Haut Uele District. ¶5. What are estimated numbers of LRA combatants and non-combatants and in what location? The LRA in the DRC is made up of three groups: Ugandan soldiers from Joseph Kony's Acholi tribe, Sudanese soldiers, and conscripted Congolese. According to MONUC, there are less than 70 LRA combatants currently in Bas Uele and Haut Uele. They are concentrated in the areas around Bangadi, Gilima, and Dungu. Due to large numbers of surrenders in recent months, MONUC believes the LRA is losing its cohesiveness in the DRC. ¶6. Have LRA movements been reported? To/from where? Following the Ugandan army bombardment on December 14, 2008 of the main LRA base in Garamba National Park in Haut Uele, the LRA rebels dispersed into smaller groups with increasing capacity to harm civilians. After several large scale attacks in December 2008-January 2009, LRA attacks have diminished in size, though not in quantity. The groups moved to the territories of Dungu, Faradje, Niangara and Watsa in 
Haut Uele and Ango and Poko in Bas Uele. In September 2009, a priest in Isiro-Nyangara and other witnesses stated that the LRA was located along the banks of the Nzoro River near Kafuli, Mariadro, Biriki, Kialo, Nyari, and Kariyo. There is also a possible LRA base at Kirakedhe. Witnesses have reported seeing LRA stealing food near Mowa Mountain and Tomati. ¶7. Are other forces in the area that might be responsible for attacks which are attributed (perhaps wrongly) to the LRA? Attacks by small LRA groups are sometimes indistinguishable from those of ordinary bandits or undisciplined FARDC elements. LRA attacks can often be distinguished by kidnapping and mutilation. Two additional militia groups KINSHASA 00001085 002 OF 004 primarily located in Ituri District are responsible for creating refugees and contributing to the unstable security presence in the province. They are the Popular Front for Justice in Congo (FPCJ) and the Front for the Patriotic Resistance of Ituri (FRPI). LRA-Affected Populations -------------- ¶8. How many internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees have been displaced by LRA and related operations against the LRA since September 2008? The total number of LRA related displaced persons is between 400,000 and 540,000. In the two primary districts alone, at least 261,000 people were displaced between January and August 2009 and around 125,000 left their homes around the end of August to early September 2009. Number of IDPs in Haut Uele: 231,738 and in Bas Uele: 47,940. In addition, 42,500 LRA related IDPs are in Ituri District. Other refugees are in Sudan and CAR with the breakdown as follows: 27,327 from Haut Uele and 161 from Bas Uele. ¶9. What is the location of refugee/displaced populations? There are 10,000 IDPs located in Dingila and 15,000 families in Ango. Other IDPs in Haut Uele are found in Dungu, Faradje, Niangara, Rungu, and Watsa. In Bas Uele, IDPs are located in Bondo, Bambesa, Buta, Poko, and Ango. Most of the refugees from Haut Uele are in Central and Western Equatoria, South Sudan while refugees from Bas Uele are in Obo, Central African Republic. ¶10. What is the expected time-line for displaced populations to return home? OCHA and UNHCR believe that the situation is unstable and a majority of the populations will remain displaced through ¶2010. In some cases, IDPs are likely to settle permanently. On a positive note, 35,000 returnees registered in Dungu and Faradje. Security Response -------------- ¶11. What host government actions have been taken against LRA forces? UN actions? UPDF? Other? In September, relatively well-trained, disciplined Republican Guard forces were replaced by FARDC troops, many of which were integrated CNDP and Mai Mai troops. Currently 6,000 FARDC troops are deployed in Haut Uele. MONUC believes that due to lack of regular salary payment, the FARDC may be losing control of these troops. In consultation with the humanitarian community, MONUC deployed to Dingila but peacekeeping forces are still needed in Ango, Banda, and Dakwa. Fifty-six LRA rebels have been demobilized through MONUC's DDRRR program through August 2009. The UPDF's actions between Faradje and Kurukwata have weakened the LRA in that region. ¶12. Have any cross-border coordination efforts taken place between these forces/agencies? N/A ¶13. What are the effects on civilians of operations against the LRA? Have there been reports of human rights abuses by security forces responding in LRA-affected areas? There are unconfirmed, but persistent reports of the LRA mutilating civilians who the group accused of talking to KINSHASA 00001085 003 OF 004 authorities. NGOs have reported that the FARDC stationed in the area have been generally well-disciplined, but there is concern that newly arrived, newly-integrated battalions may be less disciplined. ¶14. Has information sharing and coordination by national militaries with the UN been sufficient to allow proactive civilian protection efforts by peacekeepers? The UPDF primarily acts unilaterally against the LRA, and it does not share tactically relevant information with the FARDC or MONUC. ¶15. What are future plans for anti-LRA operations and/or civilian protection efforts by these forces/agencies? N/A ¶16. Have UN peacekeeping operations effectively conditioned support to national militaries on their respect for human rights, or does such support continue despite reports of human rights abuses by those militaries against civilians? Three hundred soldiers of the 508th battalion attended a workshop on the protection of civilians. The protection cluster of Kisangani organized the event. UNHCR, MONUC/Human Rights, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) presented modules on international humanitarian law, international protection of civilians and human rights. Humanitarian Response -------------- ¶17. Which host government agencies, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, etc. are responding to humanitarian needs in LRA affected areas? There is no knowledge of host nation agencies responding to the humanitarian needs in these areas. Active UN agencies are WFP, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNOCHA, and MONUC. USG funds support all of these agencies. Active NGO agencies supported by USG funding are Mercy Corps, Premiere Urgence, Samaritan's Purse, and German Agro Action. Solidarites and COOPI are indirectly funded by the USG, as they are the implementing partners for UNICEF/OFDA projects. Other active NGOs are Oxfam-Quebec, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Medair, LWF, ShelterBox, and Oxfam-Great Britain. There are twenty international and national NGOs operating in areas outside of Dungu. ¶18. Please describe humanitarian operations/activities currently underway in support of LRA-affected populations. OCHA has a sub-office in Dungu, Haut Uele District, Orientale Province. UNHCR has partnered with Oxfam-Quebec on comprehensive protection monitoring in addition to distribution of NFI kits to 2,655 households as of July. It is also active in SGBV, HIV and health and nutrition activities. As part of the UNHCR protection strategy, Premier Urgence and LWF with funding from CERF are implementing a shelter program in both districts. ShelterBox, another transitional shelter company is in talks with UNHCR to provide services in Bas Uele. Access to affected areas has been hampered by volatile security conditions and minimal road infrastructure. This is particularly true in the Dungu region. MONUC established a base in Dingila in July 2009 enabling food and non-food humanitarian assistance for approximately 10,000 IDPs. In Qhumanitarian assistance for approximately 10,000 IDPs. In addition, humanitarian groups have created joint protection team (JPT) missions for protection needs assessments. The establishment of MONUC bases in Duru and Faradje has somewhat improved the security situation for humanitarian KINSHASA 00001085 004 OF 004 organizations operating in the area. ¶19. Please describe coordination of these efforts. Is OCHA coordinating? Host government? Are there regular protection cluster meetings focusing on LRA affected areas? Is there adequate information sharing among NGOs on the ground, UN peacekeepers and national militaries involved in operations against the LRA? OCHA coordinates the efforts in Dungu and Bunia. The host government does not participate in these coordination efforts, but some local civil society groups like CARITAS are involved in the coordination. Regular protection cluster meetings on LRA affected areas take place in Bunia. There is informal consensus among NGOs and UN humanitarian agencies that there is a lack of adequate information sharing between the FARDC and MONUC. ¶20. What are the current humanitarian gaps in LRA affected areas? NGOs and UN agencies have provided food and non-food humanitarian assistance to 45% of the IDP population in Haut and Bas Uele. There are still 13,000 IDPs around Faradje that have not received any assistance for the past four months. The security situation and lack of road infrastructure make delivery of assistance difficult. ¶21. Have there been attacks on NGOs/humanitarin groups, and if so how has this impacted efforts to respond to humanitarian needs in LRA affected areas? Between April and June 2009, seven attacks occurred after humanitarian distribution. The humanitarian community is implementing a "Do No Harm" principle in coordination with conditions formulated by CPIA (the provincial humanitarian coordination mechanism). In September, LRA elements in Obo, CAR killed three members of the Italian NGO COOPI. In March, members of MSF were captured near Banda and Boeli but managed to escape via motorbike. GARVELINK