US embassy cable - 05ACCRA829

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ACCRA 000829 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
KINSHASA PASS TO BRAZZAVILLE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2015 
TAGS: PREF, GB, EG, CO 
SUBJECT: REFUGEES IN GABON -- AN UPDATE 
 
REF: A. A) LIBREVILLE 310 
     B. B) YAOUNDE 624 
     C. C) KINSHASA 598 
 
Classified By: POLCHIEF SCOTT TICKNOR FOR REASONS 1.5 D AND E. 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Ref Coord, PRM/A Program Assistant, and 
Poloff (Embassy Libreville) met with refugees in Libreville 
on April 14 to address resettlement, protection, and 
repatriation issues.  In response to a small pro-settlement 
demonstration earlier in the week, we explained that the 41 
cases our Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) had interviewed 
represented only the first tranche of a larger, but limited, 
program.  We met with Pedro Pergentino Ekumu-Epitie, an 
Equato-Guinean lawyer who had gone into hiding.  Finally, we 
dialogued with Congolese refugees in an attempt to ascertain 
why there was so little interest in repatriation.  Despite 
assurances that their country was safe, the Congolese 
delegation remained reluctant to return home because of 
several cases of returning refugees who had disappeared or 
had been poisoned.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Emotions Flare as Resettlement Processing Begins... 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
2.  (SBU)  Accra's OPE arrived in Gabon on April 6 on its 
first ever trip to pre-screen 18 cases that had been referred 
to the U.S. resettlement program.  Unfortunately, word soon 
reached the close-knit refugee community that these were the 
only cases that would ever be considered for resettlement. 
Some 26 refugees staged a non-violent protest in front of the 
UNHCR office, causing the OPE team to fear for its safety. 
Eventually, OPE decided to cancel its last three remaining 
interviews and leave the premises; the team departed for 
Cameroon on April 14. 
 
3.  (SBU)  During a meeting with refugees on April 14, Ref 
Coord, PRM/A Program Assistant, and Poloff assured those 
present that there would be other referrals for resettlement; 
this group only represented the first tranche.  When pressed 
for numbers, we declined to be more specific, cautioning that 
only 1-2 percent of the refugees in the region were being 
resettled annually.  (Note:  We expect UNHCR to refer all of 
the eighty-one Equato-Guineans and some of the most 
vulnerable (non-military) Congolese to the U.S. resettlement 
program over the next six months.  End note.) 
 
----------------------------------------- 
...and an Equato-Guinean Goes Into Hiding 
----------------------------------------- 
 
4.  (C)  We also met briefly with Equato-Guinean lawyer Pedro 
Pergentino Ekumu-Epitie, an eloquent and passionate speaker. 
As noted in ref A, Pedro went into hiding at an undisclosed 
location after learning of the disappearance of two of his 
compatriots while they were in protective custody in Yaounde 
(ref B).  Ref Coord assured him that he would do everything 
possible to expedite his case. (A DHS adjudicator is 
scheduled to arrive in Gabon on May 24.) 
 
--------------------------------- 
Congolese Reluctant To Repatriate 
--------------------------------- 
 
5.  (SBU) In separate meetings with Congolese refugees, we 
broached the subject of repatriation, noting various 
pronouncements (ref C) that refugees were welcome to return 
home.  Refugees scoffed at any suggestion that they were 
economic migrants, noting the declining Gabonese economy, the 
discriminatory environment against foreigners, and the 
difficulty of supporting themselves.  Yet, as the Congolese 
explained, they were reluctant to repatriate primarily 
because of security concerns.  Some cited the example of 
Colonel Antoine Mouity, allegedly killed by poisoning in 
2002.  Others mentioned the case of Colonel Simone Pierre 
Moussanda, who reportedly disappeared two months ago; he is 
believed to be either under arrest or in hiding. 
Subsequently, in a separate meeting with Poloff, refugees 
alleged that Colonel Narcisse Manguila had been killed on 
April 16.  Though Manguila was not a refugee, he belonged to 
the same ethnic group as many of the Congolese refugees, who 
believe his demise was indicative of the dangers they would 
face if they repatriate.  Privately, UNHCR Representative 
Benedict Akinola told us he had been disappointed at the 
meager results of his attempts to encourage repatriation, 
which totaled only about 700 during 2004, a small fraction of 
the 18,000 refugees and asylum seekers (14,000 from 
Congo-Brazzaville) living in Gabon.  At this point, he 
foresaw little change in the attitudes of the refugees. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
6.  (SBU)  We will continue to push for the appropriate 
durable solutions for the refugee community in Gabon.  With 
local integration increasingly unlikely, repatriation remains 
a possibility for most Congolese, but it will require time 
and effort (and a prolonged absence of allegations of human 
rights abuses) to convince them it is safe to return home. 
Resettlement appears to be the only option for the 
beleaguered Equato-Guineans. 
 
7.  (U) For Brazzaville:  Any information you can share that 
would substantiate or refute the allegations in paragraph 5 
would be helpful. 
 
8.  (U) This message was cleared by Embassy Libreville and 
PRM/A Program Assistant Jennifer Christenson prior to 
transmission. 
YATES 
 
 
NNNN