US embassy cable - 04KINSHASA1488

UNCLAS KINSHASA 001488 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PINS, PREL, CG 
SUBJECT: DRC PARTICIPATES IN CENTCOM'S TAMPA CONFERENCE ON 
DISASTER MANAGEMENT 
 
1. (U) Summary. Two Congolese officials participated in 
Centcom's Golden Spear Conference on disaster management held 
in Tampa, Florida, from July 26-30. The GDRC has expressed 
its appreciation for this regional initiative and indicated 
that it looks forward to further cooperation. End Summary. 
 
DRC Joins Centcom's Golden Spear Disaster Management Efforts 
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2. (U) DRC's Vice-Minister of Interior, Paul Musafiri, and 
Defense Ministry Liaison Officer Richard Bomboko, 
participated in Centcom's Golden Spear Conference on disaster 
management in Tampa, Florida, July 26-30. The Golden Spear is 
a Centcom initiative to assist East African countries in 
coordinating regional disaster management efforts. 
Participants included Burundi, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, 
Rwanda, Tanzania, The Seychelles, and Uganda. 
 
3. (U) The Golden Spear disaster management near-term goal is 
to enhance readiness at the national and regional levels 
through training, bilateral activities, and the development 
of a regional response mechanism. During the conference, it 
became clear that participants were at different stages of 
preparedness for managing man-made and natural disasters. 
Kenya appeared to be the country that had devoted the most 
resources and organization to disaster management, while the 
DRC was only starting to plan a national initiative. 
 
 
DRC Actively Participates in Tampa Conference 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
4. (U) Musafiri actively participated during the conference's 
discussions and table top exercises. He also gave an eloquent 
presentation of the Congo's current post-conflict situation 
and existing mechanism for disaster management. Musafiri was 
candid about the DRC's limited national resources and lack of 
infrastructure to cope with disasters. He also indicated that 
the DRC intends to fully participate in the Golden Spear 
forum and would be ready to present its national disaster 
management plan at the next regional meeting next year. The 
plan should already have been in effect several months by 
that time. 
 
Interior Vice-Minister to Coordinate DRC's Plan 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
5. (U) Poloff met with Musafiri on August 5, to discuss his 
impressions of the conference. Musafiri said that he had met 
with Vice-President Azarias Ruberwa to report on his visit to 
Tampa and that Ruberwa was very pleased with the results. 
Musafiri noted that the GDRC was very grateful to the U.S. 
for the assistance provided through Golden Spear and that it 
looked forward to further cooperation. 
 
6. (U) Ruberwa asked Musafiri to prepare a draft plan for the 
creation of an inter-ministerial commission on disaster 
management as well as a national disaster management plan. 
Musafiri will prepare these proposals and then request that 
President Kabila issue the appropriate decree creating the 
commission. He will then propose that the new commission be 
funded under the 2005 national budget. 
 
Comment 
------- 
7. (U) The DRC's participation in the Golden Spear Conference 
on disaster management has been a step forward in renewed 
US-Congolese military cooperation efforts. It has also 
allowed the GDRC to access information and support necessary 
to develop its national disaster response infrastructure. 
Musafiri has indicated that as part of these efforts, the 
GDRC will work to create its first fire-rescue department in 
the city of Kinshasa. Post will assist the GDRC with 
information that will facilitate these efforts in cooperation 
with the Hillsborough County Fire Department in Florida. 
 
MEECE