US embassy cable - 04KINSHASA1216

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 KINSHASA 001216 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/IP/ITA AND DS/ITA/AF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC, KSAC, CG 
SUBJECT: KINSHASA - QUARTERLY STATUS REPORT 
 
REF: STATE 02615 
 
I. Summary of Significant Events 
 
A. Narrative Overview of Activities 
 
- On June 2, sparked by a temporary takeover of Bukavu, 
students and sympathizers filled the streets, throwing rocks 
and anything else they could get their hands on.  The 
protests were first aimed at MONUC, then the GDRC in general. 
Americans were told to stay at the Embassy or at their 
residences throughout the trouble. Employees were taken home 
from the Embassy and JAO in armored vehicles the first 
afternoon of the demonstrations by the RSO and ARSO. 
 
- A coup attempt the early morning of 06/11 woke the 
community to gunfire and streets filled with tanks and armed 
soldiers. A presidential palace guard led about 40 rebels to 
take over a local radio station and shut down the city's 
electricity. The attempt was quelled later in the day with an 
undetermined amount of casualties.  During both security 
incidents, the RSO used a new cell phone group text message 
communication link to keep the American community informed on 
what was happening and what to do. 
 
- Deputy Assistant Secretary Donald Yamamoto visited Kinshasa 
both in April and in June to meet DRC and business liaisons 
and to conduct town meetings with members of the American 
community. 
 
- Congressman Edward Royce and retinue visited Kinshasa and 
Brazzaville 06/26 - 06/30. Their schedule on both sides of 
the river and requests for armed escort put an additional 
demand on the RSO office. 
 
- ARSO Edward Webb and SSGT Andrew Sellhorn, the MSG 
Detachment Commander, left post in June for their next 
assignments in Washington, D,C. 
 
 
1. All construction projects have been reported to the 
Department. 
 
2. Visit for VIP visitors: 
 
    Deputy Assistant Secretary Donald Yamamoto 4/03 - 4/06 
and again 06/21 - 06/23 
 
    Con. Edward Royce 6/26 - 6/30 
 
    Former Brazzaville Ambassador John Kaeuper and Senator 
John Turner 6/21/ - 6/28 
 
 
3. Significant liaison, OSAC and other community-related 
business: 
 
04/24 - RSO and CLO met with the American community to talk 
in generalities about evacuations, including how to prepare 
and what has to happen to initiate one. 
 
04/28 - ARSO and DCM met with the Kinshasa mayor about 
closing the street in front of the Portuguese embassy, next 
to the U.S. Chancery. 
 
4. Reference to time-consuming investigations: 
 
   N/A 
 
5. Non-routine and other official visitors: 
 
4/04/ - 4/21 - Visit of Political TDYer Benedict Castle. 
 
4/04 - 4/12 - Visit of GSO TDYers Mark Day, Clyde George, 
George Harrison,Darrell Johnson and Steve Johnson 
 
4/6 - 4/18 - Visit of DAO TDYer Roy Neve 
 
4/07 - Meeting with MONUC security representatives on 
physical security issues 
 
4/09 - 4/17 - Visit of CDC TDYer Anne Rimoin 
 
4/09/ 4/21 - Visit of GSO TDYer Patrick Plunkett 
 
4/10 - 4/20 - Visit of RSO TDYers Jeff Hill and Timothy Long 
 
4/13 - Brief CDC contractors on security in the provinces 
 
4/14 - Brief Citigroup South African senior OPS official 
4/15 - 6/10 - Visit of Brazzaville TDYers Matthew Martino, 
Forest McGee, Pablo Gonzales, Thomas Skaar, Daniel Varela 
 
4/12 - 4/15 - Visit of RSO TDYer Joseph Green 
 
4/11 - 4/16 - Visit of USAID TDYer David Lockhart 
 
4/13/ - 4/21 - Visit of GSO TDYer Joseph Schubert 
 
4/19 - 4/23 - Visit of Brazzaville TDYers Ed Von Hagel, 
Johanna LaPierre, David Stinson 
 
4/20 - 4/23 - Visit of ORA TDYers John Levorson, Brain 
Bauder, Jonathan Forman 
 
4/24 - 4/27 - Visit of CDC TDYer Esmail Torkashvan 
 
4/25 - 4/29 - Visit of ORA TDYer Kim Coulter 
 
5/02 - 5/04 - Visit of ORA TDYer Nicole O'Neill 
 
5/02 - 7/02 - Visit of RACs TDYer Tyson Sackett 
 
5/02 - 7/03 - Visit of RSO TDYer Jennefer Pekkinen 
 
5/10 - 5/25 - Visit of USAID TDYer Jerrylin Jordan 
 
5/13 - 5/20 - Visit of DAO TDYers Rhett Krulla, Terrance 
Pickron 
 
5/17 - 6/17 - Visit of RSO TDYer James Kelleher 
 
5/17 - 5/21 - Visit of Brazzaville TDYers Thomas Prasse, 
Illya Knolton 
 
5/17 - 5/26 - Visit of DAO TDYer Alfred Rosu 
 
5/18 - Brief World Bank representative Arnold Drexel 
 
5/23 - 5/30 - Visit of DAO TDYers Eugene Mensch, Letitia 
Lawson, Patience Veloza 
 
5/29 - 6/18 - Visit of Consular TDYer Edward Errante 
 
6/17 - 6/24 - Visit of USAID TDYer John Langlois 
 
6/19 - 6/27 - Visit of CDC TDYer Serigne Ndiaye 
 
6/21 - 6/25 - Visit of USAID TDYers Nance Kyloh, Paul Birdsall 
 
6/23 - 6/30 - Visit of Brazzaville TDYer Malik Chaka 
 
6/22 - 6/26 - Visit of Brazzaville TDYer Susan Driano 
 
6/19 - 6/26 - Visit of DAO TDYers Jeremy Ellis, Calvin Wilfong 
 
6/22 - 8/10 - Visit of USAID TDYer Timothy McRae 
 
6/23 - 6/27 - Visit of Brazzaville TDYer Kenneth Moorefield 
 
6/13 - 7/01 - Visit of USAID TDYers Zak Bao, Cheikh Talla, 
Nancy Toolan 
 
6/20 - 8/01 - Visit of Admin TDYer Bernard Rouzes 
 
6/25 - 7/01 - Visit of RSO TDYer James Shipe 
 
 
6. Other activities having a significant bearing on RSO 
personnel and resources. 
 
 
a.  Submission of waiver package for Consular Section that 
Embassy personnel have occupied for 5.5 years in order to 
free funding for renovation project. 
 
b.  Student demonstrations from June 2-6.  See Kinshasa 1034, 
1035, 1037. 
 
c.  Coup attempt on June 11.  See Kinshasa 1090. 
 
d.  CODEL Royce visit from June 26-30. 
 
 
7. Significant training or liaison issues with government 
officials pertaining to passport or visa fraud. 
 
    N/A 
 
B. Mission-wide drills: 
 
1. Chancery 
 
Drill              Date         Next Drill 
 
Fire               03/04        09/04 
Bomb               05/03        08/04 
Destruction        06/04        07/05 
Internal Defense   06/04        07/05 
Duck & Cover       06/04        07/05 
Warden Official    Every Tuesday 
Warden Unofficial  Every Tuesday 
 
2. JAO 
 
Drill              Date         Next Drill 
 
Fire               03/04        09/04 
Bomb               05/03        08/04 
Destruction        06/04        07/05 
Internal Defense   06/04        07/05 
Duck & Cover       06/04        07/05 
 
3. USAID 
 
Drill              Date         Next Drill 
 
Fire               03/04        09/04 
Bomb               05/03        08/04 
Destruction        06/04        07/05 
Internal Defense   06/04        07/05 
Duck & Cover       06/04        07/05 
 
 
C. Constituent Post 
 
 
1. Brazzaville, Republic of Congo 
 
2. ARSOs Ed Webb and Michael Jordan 
 
3. 4/16: BDEAC TSS kickoff 
 
   4/18: TSS visit and logistics 
 
   4/28: TSS visit, guard force briefing 
 
   5/06: TSS visit, FSNI briefing 
 
   5/13: TSS visit, status check 
 
   5/18: Grenade found, TSS briefing 
 
   5/21: TSS close-out 
 
   6/24: GSO Investigation 
 
   6/28: CODEL Visit 
 
 
4. No drills are conducted in Brazzaville because they have 
no official office. 
 
 
D. MSG Activities 
 
1. Internal Defense             04/07 
   Bomb                         04/12 
   Intruder                     04/14 
   Intruder                     04/20 
   Mob                          04/27 
   Bomb                         05/04 
   Mob                          05/20 
 
 
Real calls June 2 - and June 11 
 
2. RSO and ARSO regularly attend guard school. 
3. Semi annual inspection from May 4-6. 
4. TDY request for one MSG to provide support in POTUS visit 
from 06/01 - 06/10. 
 
II. Threats and Incidents 
 
1. Post of Record: Kinshasa 
    a.  Three attempts by would-be thieves posing as 
        police/security officials to rob 2 Amcits 
        and one Embassy employee 
    b.  N/A 
    c.  See Kinshasa 1034, 1035 and 1037 about student 
        demos.  See Kinshasa 1090 about attempted coup. 
 
2. Post of Record: Brazzaville 
 
    a.  N/A 
    b.  N/A 
    c.  N/A 
 
III. DS Initiated Investigations 
 
A.  Number of Cases Generated by Headquarters Offices: 
 
 
Assigned    Open   Closed   Pending    Overdue 
 
PSS          8       6         2          0 
VF           0       0         0          0 
PF           0       0         0          0 
CIL          0       0         0          0 
PR           0       0         0          0 
PII          1       0         1          0 
(FBI315-C6-120509) 
 
B.  Number of cases generated by Post 
 
 
Assigned    Open    Closed   Pending   Overdue 
 
FSN/PSC      8        6        2         0 
RFA Agency   0        0        0         0 
RFA HQS      0        0        0         0 
 
 
IV. Action Cables not answered by DS: 
 
    N/A 
 
V.  Summary of Separate Reports 
 
A.  CWIG 
 
    1.  02/18/04 
    2.  Kinshasa 00314 
 
B.  Emergency Action Plan 
 
    1.  Kinshasa 
    2.  09/02/02 
    3.  Submitted in June 04 
 
    1.  Brazzaville 
    2.  1996 
    3.  Update in progress.  Unclassified Sectin 1500 
        submitted in Jan 04. 
 
C.  Physical Security Surveys: 
 
    1.  Kinshasa - Embassy 
    2.  05/04 
    3.  05/07 
 
    1.  Kinshasa - JAO 
    2.  05/04 
    3.  05/07 
 
    1.  Kinshasa - USAID 
    2.  05/04 
    3.  05/07 
 
D.  Procedural Survey: 
 
    1.  Kinshasa - 06/02 
    2.  Brazzaville - N/A 
 
E.  SPE Inventory: 
 
    1.  Kinshasa 00636 
    2.  04/04 
 
F.  Annual Crime Evaluation Questionnaire and OSAC Crime and 
Safety 
    Reports: 
    1.  Kinshasa 3277 
    2.  12/03 
 
G.  Diplomatic Security Overseas Firearms Qualification 
Policy: 
 
    N/A 
 
H.  LEAP Quarterly Status Reports: 
 
    1.  RSO Jeff Lischke - Will be submitted 
    2.  ARSO Michael Jordan - Will be submitted 
I.  LEAP Annual Recertification: 
 
    1.  RSO Jeff Lischke - Kinshasa 00560 in 03/04 
    2.  ARSO Michael Jordan - Submitted in Washington. 
 
VI. POC is RSO Jeff Lischke at 243-81-88-44608 (cell) or 934 
ext. 2207 (IVG). 
 
HOOKS