US embassy cable - 04KINSHASA1884

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001884 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2014 
TAGS: PREF, PHUM, PINS, KPKO, CG, UNHCR 
SUBJECT: GDRC ALLOWS CONGOLESE REFUGEES TO RETURN TO UVIRA 
 
REF: KINSHASA 1870 
 
Classified By: Poloff Gons Nachman for Reasons 1.5 B and D 
 
1. (C) Summary. A group of over 1600 Congolese refugees, 
including over 500 Banyamulenge, crossed the Burundian border 
into the DRC and arrived at the Uvira transit center October 
12. Many of these refugees had waited at the border since 
October 6 as a GDRC interministerial delegation traveled to 
the area to negotiate their repatriation. This delegation 
witnessed firsthand violent protests against the return of 
Banyamulenge refugees orchestrated by local military and 
political actors. Surprisingly the GDRC has done a good job 
of handling this tense situation possibly motivated by the 
desire to avoid a reprise of the Gatumba massacre, albeit on 
Congolese soil. End Summary. 
 
Mixed Group of Refugees Waits for Days at DRC-Burundi Border 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
2. (U) A group of over 500 Banyamulenge refugees attempting 
to return home arrived at the DRC-Burundi border October 6. 
They were later joined by over 1000 additional refugees from 
other South Kivu ethnic groups including Bafulero and 
Babembe. The border remained closed, however, as a Congolese 
government delegation prepared to travel from Kinshasa to 
Uvira on October 8 to coordinate the refugees' return. 
 
3. (C) Upon arrival in Uvira on October 8, the Congolese 
delegation (the Vice-Minister of Interior, the Vice-Minister 
of Defense for Reintegration, and an advisor to President 
Kabila) were met by demonstrators who expressed opposition to 
the return of the refugees. According to MONUC and UNHCR 
sources, South Kivu local officials, Mai Mai soldiers under 
commander Nakabaka and members of Congolese intelligence 
agencies in Uvira mobilized opposition to the return of 
refugees supported by the GDRC delegation. 
 
4. (U) On October 9 demonstrators erected barricades on the 
road leading from Uvira to the Burundi border to prevent the 
repatriation of the refugees. They also threw rocks at MONUC 
vehicles and at those of other UN agencies in Uvira. MONUC 
had to use tear gas and fire in the air to disperse the 
crowd. Some of the demonstrators later claimed that an 
11-year old girl had been killed by MONUC during the 
demonstration. MONUC categorically denied this allegation. 
Newspapers in Kinshasa, however, reported October 12 that 
demonstrators were now saying that the victim was actually a 
15-year old boy. (Comment: Other humanitarian agencies in 
South  Kivu including UNHCR have also dismissed this 
allegation as baseless. End Comment.) 
 
Refugees are Finally Allowed to Enter the DRC 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
5. (U) The GDRC finally allowed the refugees to cross the 
border October 11, but decided to keep them on the outskirts 
of Uvira for registration and screening, which proceeded 
without any incidents. MONUC peacekeepers removed the road 
barriers leading to Uvira the previous night to prepare for 
the transfer. UNHCR officials in South Kivu confirmed October 
12 that a convoy of several trucks transporting 1619 refugees 
arrived without any incident at the MONUC transit center in 
Uvira. Various UN agencies, including UNHCR, UNICEF, and OCHA 
along with NGOs present in Uvira provided humanitarian 
assistance to the refugees. 
 
6. (C) The British Ambassador told Charge October 11 that he 
had underscored to President Kabila the importance of 
addressing the refugee situation in Uvira. Kabila replied 
that he had his advisor and the Vice-Minister of Interior on 
the ground and that they were following the situation 
closely. SRSG Swing reportedly talked to President Kabila as 
well on October 10. (Comment: Kabila appears to have made the 
right decision prior to these interventions as a GDRC 
delegation had already arrived in Uvira October 8 to 
coordinate the safe repatriation of these refugees. End 
Comment.) 
 
Over 25,000 Congolese Refugees Remain in Burundi 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
7. (U) According to UNHCR Bukavu, over 25,000 Congolese 
refugees remain in Burundi. Most of these are part of an 
older caseload who have been in the country for a long time. 
Out of the approximately 7,000 refugees who entered Burundi 
in June and July 2004, over 3,000 have already returned to 
the DRC, including most of the Banyamulenge. The remaining 
refugees have settled in camps inside Burundi and in the city 
of Bujumbura. 
 
Comment 
------- 
8. (SBU) The GDRC seems to have defused - at least for now- 
the tense and dangerous situation that developed in Uvira. 
After witnessing firsthand the manipulation of refugee 
returns by hard-line elements in South Kivu, it remains to be 
seen what action, if any, Kinshasa will take against military 
and political actors who have fostered intolerance and 
violence against the Banyamulenge population in South Kivu. 
Kinshasa seems seized with the importance of controlling the 
local situation possibly motivated in part by a desire to 
avoid a reprise of the Gatumba massacre, albeit in DRC. It 
seems clear, however, that local officials were not alone in 
steering up trouble. Kinshasa will therefore have to put its 
own house in order to ensure that initially positive steps 
towards ethnic reconciliation such as the proposed 
nationality law can actually be effective. 
DOUGHERTY