Cablegate: Situation Report for Drc - November 3, 2008,

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DE RUEHKI #0959/01 3081140
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 031140Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8709
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

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SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS PHUM PREF KPKO CG
SUBJECT: SITUATION REPORT FOR DRC - NOVEMBER 3, 2008,
AS OF 12:30 PM CENTRAL AFRICAN TIME (GMT +1)

1. (U) All times Kinshasa (GMT + 1) unless otherwise
indicated.

Security Situation in Goma
--------------------------

2. (SBU) On the evening of November 1, Charge consulted with EAC
members, as well as RSO Kigali and the Department's Operations
Center, regarding the status of USG personnel recently evacuated to
Gisenyi. The EAC decided to recommend that personnel return to Goma
during daylight hours, with a deadline of 5:00 PM local time to
return to Gisenyi until further notice. A warden message to this
effect was disseminated immediately following the decision.

3. (SBU) Poloff spoke with USG personnel in Goma at 10:00 AM on
November 3. It was reported that the security situation in town
appears normal, with stores open and many people on the street. The
Governor of North Kivu announced a curfew for Goma between 11:00 PM
and 5:00 AM.

Political Developments
----------------------

4. (SBU) Assistant Secretary Frazer, her Senior Adviser Tim
Shortley, NSC Senior Director for Africa Bobby Pittman, Special
Assistant Dana Banks, and DoD officers traveling with Ambassador
Frazer departed Goma for Kigali at approximately 3:00 PM local time
on October 31. Charge remained in Goma for several additional hours
for discussions with MONUC and humanitarian affairs officials,
before returning to Kinshasa at approximately 6:30 PM. Senior
Adviser Shortley will return to Goma on November 4; MONUC has agreed
to transport him to Goma from Entebbe shortly after arrival in
Uganda. He will travel to Kinshasa later in the week.

5. (SBU) On November 1, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband and
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrived in Kinshasa to meet
with President Kabila before continuing on to Goma, accompanied by
the British and French Ambassadors to the DRC. In Goma, the
delegation visited the Kibati refugee camp. Miliband and Kouchner
then traveled on to Kigali.

6. (SBU) On the evening of November 2, SRSG Alan Doss requested the
British, French, and Belgian ambassadors and Charge to attend a
meeting with Alain Le Roy, Under-Secretary General for UN
Peacekeeping Operations. Le Roy provided a readout of his meetings
with Prime Minister Muzito and Foreign Minister Mwamba. He
emphasized that Muzito unhesitatingly acknowledges "there is no
FARDC." The GDRC, therefore, asks Le Roy to convey to Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council its wish that MONUC's
mandate be changed to allow it to fight armed groups without the
FARDC. Le Roy told the DRC officials that he would look into this,
but expressed skepticism as to whether the mandate can be changed.

7. (SBU) Le Roy also reported that General Babacar Gaye has agreed
to return to the position of MONUC Force Commander on a temporary
basis and will arrive in the DRC shortly. An intense effort is
underway to identify a permanent replacement. Le Roy, however,
expressed chagrin at what appears to be a lack of available
French-speaking generals for the position.

8. (SBU) Le Roy said that it appears likely that Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon will appoint a high-level special envoy to spearhead
diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions between the DRC and Rwanda.
Being given serious consideration is former Nigerian President
Obasanjo. (Note: Le Roy noted that Kabila told him that he talks
with Kagame several times a day. End note.)

9. (SBU) Le Roy, Doss, and Muzito will travel to Goma today,
November 3. In addition, EU Special Representative Roeland van de
Geer, who arrived in Kinshasa the evening of November 2, will also
travel to Goma today with Doss and Le Roy. He will remain in the
region for the Joint Monitoring Group's Special Envoys and the
upcoming Tripartite Plus meetings in Kigali.

Humanitarian Developments
-------------------------

10. (U) USAID OFDA Senior Program Officer Jay Nash arrived in
Kinshasa the evening of November 2, interrupting home leave in the
United States to lead USAID's Disaster Assistance Response Team
(DART) scheduled to deploy to North Kivu.

11. (SBU) Nash briefed Charge, political counselor and RSO November
3 on DART. The team will consist of six members and be fully

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deployed to Goma no later than November 10. Nash noted that the
European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) has announced
Euros 4 million in humanitarian assistance for the region. The
Belgian ambassador told Charge that his government has sent two
C-120 planes laden with humanitarian supplies to Kinshasa for
forward deployment to Goma as soon as possible.

12. (U) A humanitarian aid convoy will be sent today to Rutshuru.
Gloria Fernandez, head of OCHA in the DRC, announced that the convoy
would leave Goma with UN humanitarian agencies as well as NGO's to
set up the first emergency assistance activities in the area. She
said they had engaged in discussions with the CNDP, MONUC, and the
FARDC to open a corridor that will allow the reestablishment of
certain humanitarian activities.

BROCK

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