US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA1432

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 001432 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/07/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, CG, RW 
SUBJECT: RWANDA EXPELS NKUNDA LOYALISTS 
 
Classified By: PolCouns MSanderson, reasons 1.4 b/d. 
 
1. (U) Congolese press and Radio Okapi reported September 7 
that the GOR had expelled 10 former Congolese soldiers who 
had fled to Rwanda with General Nkunda following last year's 
attack on Bukavu.  The press reported that the 10 were sent 
to Goma, where they are currently under arrest. 
 
2. (C) North Kivu Governor Eugene Serufuli confirmed to 
PolCouns that, indeed, 10 individuals had been brought to the 
Rwandan border over the weekend and handed over to local 
authorities.  He said that a special joint commission, 
composed of military and civilian intelligence officers, has 
been established to gather evidence against the 10, which 
will be used ultimately in a military trial (probably in 
North Kivu, as the 10 deserted their posts in the province). 
Serufuli said that he hopes that the trials will take place 
within the next couple of months.  PolCouns asked about the 
status of efforts to capture Nkunda himself, who likely is 
somewhere in North Kivu, and Serufuli said that a coordinated 
effort between MONUC and Congolese authorities is being 
orchestrated. 
 
3. (C) Comment:  The expulsion of these 10 individuals seems 
to add credence to what PolCouns had been told by some RCD 
officials in Kinshasa, namely that Nkunda himself had fled 
Rwanda because he got wind of the decision by the GOR to 
arrest and expel him.  His return -- and subsequent press 
conference -- has caused a shock wave of insecurity and 
political recriminations.  If the Congolese, whether Serufuli 
or others, can capture Nkunda it will go a long way in 
calming current tensions, particularly between the RCD and 
the PPRD. 
MEECE