US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA1356

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 001356 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, KPKO, PREL, CG 
SUBJECT: ATTACKS ON VOTER REGISTRATION CENTERS IN ITURI 
 
Classified By: Poloff Gons Nachman for Reasons 1.4 B and D 
 
1. (SBU) Armed elements attacked two voter registration 
centers in the areas of Bule (120 kms NE of Bunia) and 
Komanda (80 kms SE of Bunia) in Ituri on August 22, UN and 
Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) sources reported. 
According to the sources, armed elements from the Union of 
Congolese Patriots (UPC) militia attacked the Bule center as 
people were registering to vote. According to Petronille 
Vaweka, the Ituri District Commissioner, Congolese army 
(FARDC) soldiers responded to the incident and repelled the 
attackers before they could seize any of the registration 
equipment. During the exchange of gunfire, a local chief 
working for the CEI as a permanent witness at the center was 
hit by a militia bullet and killed. The District Commissioner 
confirmed that she saw armed UPC militia in Bule the day 
before the attack. 
 
2. (SBU) In a separate but almost simultaneous incident, 
unknown armed elements attacked a voter registration center 
in Mangiva near Komanda, an area of Irumu territory 
controlled by the Front of Patriotic Resistance in Ituri 
(FRPI) militia. According to CEI sources, people fled the 
center and there were no reported casualties. Following these 
incidents, the CEI issued a press statement strongly 
condemning the attacks and calling on MONUC and FARDC to 
provide security to electoral workers and equipment. 
 
Comment 
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3. (C) It is unclear why UPC or FRPI militia would target 
voter registration centers since their Hema and Ngiti/Lendu 
communities have expressed overwhelming support for the 
electoral process. Knowledgeable NGO sources in Ituri 
speculate that remaining UPC and FRPI militia fighters have 
become criminal gangs, and the attackers could have acted on 
their own to steal valuable computer equipment. The almost 
simultaneous nature of the attacks, however, could also 
suggest some coordination and planning. In Vaweka's view, it 
is possible that Uganda is using these groups to intimidate 
the population and disrupt the ongoing voter registration 
process. 
MEECE