US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA764

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 000764 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KPKO, CG, S. Kivu 
SUBJECT: FDLR PRES. PLANNING VISIT TO SOUTH KIVU 
 
REF: KINSHASA 735 
 
Classified By: Poloff Meghan Moore for Reasons 1.4 B and D 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY. FDLR President Dr. Ignace Murwanashyaka is 
scheduled to leave Kinshasa for the Kivus in the next few 
days to meet with field commanders. Although he called on the 
international community to establish a 'Follow Up Committee,' 
he did not provide concrete 'next steps' to implement the 
San'Egidio brokered plan for the return of FDLR members and 
their families to Rwanda, and seemed out of touch with 
realities both in eastern Congo and Western capitals. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2. (SBU) During MONUC's weekly press briefing May 4, FDLR 
President Dr. Ignace Murwanashyaka called on the 
international community, San'Egidio and the governments of 
Rwanda and the DRC to help facilitate the FDLR's return to 
Rwanda, requested the establishment of a formal 'Follow Up 
Committee,' and said the FDLR would not be intimidated by 
attempts to 'torpedo' the process. He also condemned 
'terrorists' operating in Walungu, called for an 
investigation into their behavior, and suggested MONUC attack 
them. Journalists did not ask Ambassador Antoine Ghonda, who 
sat next to Murwanashyaka throughout the event, any 
questions. 
 
Progress? 
--------- 
 
3. (SBU) Murwanashyaka defined the FDLR as a 
political/military movement established in May 2000 whose 
members were too young (25-27) to have participated in the 
genocide. He said the FDLR was 'demonized' by 'liars' who 
said its members were Interahamwe or ex-FAR or confused them 
with other 'terrorist' elements, like Rastas. Murwanashyaka 
refused to provide any troop number estimates, and insisted 
that the vast majority of FDLR soldiers were 
well-disciplined, co-existed peacefully with their Congolese 
neighbors, and did not kill or rape. (Note. Although the FDLR 
contains many members who did not participate in the 
genocide, it also contains a significant number of ex-FAR, 
Interahamwe, and is widely considered to be a re-configured 
ALIR. The FDLR regularly commits human rights violations. End 
note.) 
 
4. (C) The FDLR President said the FDLR's return to Rwanda 
had been delayed because a 'Follow Up Committee' had not been 
established and it was taking time to contact field 
commanders. He planned to travel to the Kivus to meet with 
FDLR commanders, and ask troops to remain disciplined. 
Murwanashyaka was unable to answer how he would convince FDLR 
members to return to Rwanda. After the press conference, 
MONUC DDRRR Chief Peter Swarbrick told poloff he would 
accompany Murwanashyaka to the Kivus. When pressed, Swarbrick 
admitted that although Murwanashyaka may not be a very 
credible interlocutor, he was the only option. Swarbrick 
added he was being sent with the FDLR President to get a real 
sense of whether the San'Egidio brokered plan could get FDLR 
members and their families to return to Rwanda before MONUC 
starts military action against the FDLR. 
 
Conditions? 
----------- 
 
5. (SBU) On the one hand, Murwanashyaka asserted that the 
FDLR had renounced violence and did not require special 
conditions to return to Rwanda. On the other, he called for 
the 'Follow Up Committee,' which he was optimistic would be 
established soon, vigorously complained about gacaca, asked 
for political space for the FDLR to operate as a political 
party, and said Rwandans would not remain victims of a 
dictator forever. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
6. (C) The longer Murwanashyaka spoke, the less credible he 
became. Although the Professor may be well-meaning, he spent 
the past 14 years in Europe, and did not appear to have a 
good sense of what was going on in eastern Congo, a realistic 
plan for convincing FDLR members to go home, or an 
understanding of larger political realities--most importantly 
that the international community is unlikely to establish a 
'Follow Up Committee,' or push Rwanda to accept the FDLR as a 
political party. That said, we agree with MONUC's assessment 
that although flawed, Murwanashyaka is still the best, if not 
only, route to try to facilitate a non-military solution to 
the FDLR problem. 
DOUGHERTY