US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA598

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000598 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C, PRM AND S/WCI 
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
NAIROBI AND ACCRA FOR REFUGEE COORDINATORS 
GENEVA FOR REFUGEE OFFICER 
 
FROM BRAZZAVILLE EMBASSY OFFICE 
 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, CF, UNHCR 
SUBJECT: CONGO/B: UNHCR ON REPATRIATION OF DRC REFUGEES, 
NOTES PROBLEMS WITH RWANDANS 
 
 
1. SUMMARY: THE RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE FOR UNHCR 
BRAZZAVILLE, JANVIER de RIEDMATTEN, ASKED TO MEET WITH THE 
AMBASSADOR APRIL 4 TO BRIEF ON OVERALL UPCOMING REPATRIATION 
EFFORTS WITH DRC, RWANDAN, AND CONGO/B REFUGEES. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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DRC REFUGEES IN CONGO/B 
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2. ON DRC REFUGEES, de RIEDMATTEN SAID THAT UNHCR WOULD 
BEGIN REPATRIATING REFUGEES ORIGINALLY FROM THE DRC REGION 
OF EQUATEUR, WHO ARE IN CAMPS IN THE BETOU AREA OF CONGO/B, 
TO THREE DIFFERENT SITES IN DRC: LIBENGA, GEMENA, AND KUNGU. 
ONCE REACHING THESE THREE SITES, THE DRC REFUGEES WILL THEN 
BE ASSISTED TO RETURN TO THEIR RESPECTIVE VILLAGES. 
RIEDMATTEN SAID THAT THE PLANNING GOAL IS TO BEGIN THE 
REPATRIATION OF 24,000 DRC REFUGEES IN GROUPS OF 400 
STARTING IN APRIL 2005 WITH THE HOPES OF FINISHING BY THE 
END OF 2005. THE REPATRIATION WILL BE DONE BY BOAT UP THE 
CONGO RIVER FROM BETOU IN THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ROC) TAKING 
ABOUT 6 HOURS FOR EACH TRIP. TO DATE, OF THE 24,000 DRC 
REFUGEES, 10,000 HAVE COMMITTED TO RETURNING. UNHCR IS 
CONFIDENT THAT THE REMAINING REFUGEES WILL ALSO RETURN ONCE 
THEY SEE THAT THINGS WITH THE FIRST 10,000 HAVE GONE WELL. 
MOST OF THE 24,000 DRC REFUGEES IN THIS AREA OF CONGO/B FLED 
CONFLICTS IN 1999-2000. 
 
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RWANDAN REFUGEES IN CONGO/B: 
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3. AS FOR THE REPATRIATION OF RWANDAN REFUGEES, RIEDMATTEN 
SAID HIS OFFICE HAD JUST REVIEWED NUMBERS, AND THAT THERE 
ARE ABOUT 5,000 RWANDANS IN ROC. HE ADDED THAT REPATRIATION 
EFFORTS WITH RWANDANS IN CONGO/B HAVE COMPLETELY STALLED. 
DESPITE HIS OFFICE'S BEST EFFORTS AND THE EMBASSY/PRM-FUNDED 
PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN WHICH PROVIDED FIRST-HAND 
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE POSITIVE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR 
RETURNING REFUGEES, THERE HAVE BEEN FEW WHO HAVE RETURNED. 
RIEDMATTEN NOTED THAT FOLLOWING THE EMBASSY'S PROGRAM, HIS 
OFFICE ALSO SENT SEVERAL OF THE LOCAL RWANDAN REFUGEE 
LEADERS TO RWANDA WITH UNHCR REPS TO SEE THE ENVIRONMENT 
FIRSTHAND. THE TRIPS TO RWANDA PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ON 
SENDING REFUGEES FROM THE KINTELE CAMP 45 KILOMETERS NORTH 
OF BRAZZAVILLE AND THOSE IN BRAZZAVILLE CITY. UNFORTUNATELY, 
INSTEAD OF THE LEADERS RETURNING TO CONGO/B AND PRESENTING A 
POSITIVE PICTURE THEY APPEARED TO HAVE MISREPRESENTED THE 
ENVIRONMENT CAUSING MANY RWANDAN REFUGEES WHO HAD SIGNED UP 
FOR VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS. RIEDMATTEN 
ADDED THAT HIS OFFICE RECEIVES CALLS ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS 
FROM RWANDAN REFUGEES WHO STATE THAT THEY ARE SCARED TO COME 
TO THE UNHCR OFFICE BECAUSE THEY ARE BEING INTIMIDATED AND 
THREATENED NOT TO REPATRIATE BY LOCAL RWANDAN REFUGEE 
LEADERS. (COMMENT: MANY OF THE RWANDANS HAVE INTEGRATED INTO 
CONGOLESE SOCIETY, PARTICULARLY IN THE NORTHERN BORDER AREA 
NEAR OUESSO. HOWEVER, THOSE IN THE CAMP IN KINTELE, WHO ARE 
MOSTLY WOMAN AND CHILDREN, HAD EARLIER EXPRESSED A DESIRE TO 
RETURN TO RWANDA APPARENTLY ARE BEING INITIMATED NOT TO 
PURSUE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION. END COMMENT.) 
 
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ROC REFUGEES IN GABON: 
--------------------- 
4. AMBASSADOR RAISED THE ISSUE OF CONGO/B REFUGEES IN GABON 
AND SAID SHE HAD RECEIVED SEVERAL REQUESTS OVER THE LAST TWO 
YEARS REGARDING REPATRIATING ROC REFUGEES IN THE UNITED 
STATES. SHE ASKED RIEDMATTEN WHAT WAS HIS VIEW OF THE 
SENSITIVITY OF THIS ISSUE, AND THE CLAIMS THAT THESE 
REFUGEES WOULD FACE HARASSMENT OR PERSECUTION IF THEY 
RETURNED. HE SAID THAT THERE IS NO REASON WHY THE ROC 
REFUGEES IN GABON CANNOT RETURN TO CONGO/B. HE ADDED THAT HE 
TOO HAS EXPLAINED THIS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO HIS PARTNER 
OFFICES IN GABON AND ELSEWHERE STRESSING THAT THERE IS NO 
SECURITY OR PERSECUTION THREAT TO THESE RETURNING CONGO/B 
REFUGEES. THE REGIONS OF NAIRI AND KOUILO, WHERE MANY OF THE 
ROC REFUGEES IN GABON ARE FROM, HAVE BEEN VISITED BY UNHCR. 
THEY HAVE DETERMINED THAT THERE IS NO THREAT TO THESE 
REFUGEES. THE UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE ADDED THAT THE REFUGEES 
IN GABON MAY NOT WANT TO RETURN FOR ECONOMIC REASONS, BUT 
THERE IS NO THREAT TO THEM BY THE GOVERNMENT OR OTHER 
SOURCES. (NOTE: EMBASSY AGREES WITH THIS ASSESSMENT, AND 
CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE VIEW THAT PERMANENT REFUGEE STATUS 
OR RESETTLEMENT IN THE U.S. SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AN 
OPTION SINCE THERE IS NO SECURITY OR PERSECUTION THREAT TO 
THESE REFUGEES RETURNING TO ROC. VISITING U.S. OFFICIALS AS 
WELL AS EMBASSY STAFF HAVE BEEN TO THESE AREAS. MANY OTHER 
CONGOLESE WHO FOUGHT ALONG SIDE FORCES OF FORMER PRESIDENT 
LISSOUBA HAVE RETURNED WITH NO REPERCUSSION. 
 
BRAZZAVILLE EMBASSY OFFICE - SANDERS 
MEECE