VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0365/01 1081824
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 181824Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2639
INFO RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA PRIORITY 1486
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA PRIORITY 0073
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0037

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIGALI 000365 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/FO, AF/RSA, AF/C 
DEPT ALSO FOR AF/SPG, IO/PSC, PM/RSAT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAGR KDEM PHUM KPKO MOPS RW CG
SUBJECT: VISIT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER TO RWANDA 
APRIL 4-8 
 
REF: A. KIGALI 4 
     ¶B. KIGALI 334 
 
Classified By: Polchief LChang for reasons 1.4(b), (d). 
 
¶1. (C) In a successful, productive visit to Rwanda April 4-8, 
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi 
Frazer engaged in candid discussion on a broad range of 
issues from regional security, bilateral relations, and 
Darfur to democracy and human rights.  In her meetings with 
senior GOR officials, parliamentarians and press, she 
highlighted the need to address lingering sources of 
instability in the region, notably the FDLR,s continued 
presence in the DRC.  She also urged the GOR to strive to 
correct negative perceptions of Rwanda as well as to improve 
performance in the areas of human rights and good governance. 
 She encouraged the GOR to support the transition in Darfur 
from the AU to UN leadership and to play a more active role 
in promoting a peace settlement.  As a personal friend and 
colleague of President Kagame, Assistant Secretary Frazer 
received a warm welcome and, in a gesture of GOR hospitality 
and appreciation of USG support to Rwanda, was invited, along 
with Ambassador Arietti, to accompany the President in his 
private helicopter to the National Genocide Commemoration. 
 
¶2. (U) A/S Frazer met with President Kagame and senior GOR 
officials, including the Foreign Minister and Rwandan 
Presidential Envoy to the Great Lakes Region.  She visited a 
USAID-funded coffee cooperative, a demobilization and 
reintegration center for former FDLR combatants, and the site 
of the new chancery compound.  She also called on the 
president of the Senate, engaged in roundtable discussions 
with parliamentarians representing a cross-section of 
political parties (septel) and with pro-government and 
independent local press, met with U.S. Mission staff and some 
members of the local diplomatic corps, and attended the 12th 
annual National Genocide Commemoration, which marked the 
beginning of a week (April 7-14) of mourning and remembrance 
for the victims of the 1994 Genocide. 
 
Visit to Coffee Cooperative 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) During her April 5 visit to the USAID-funded 
Cooperative for Promotion of Coffee Activities (COOPAC) on 
the shores of Lake Kivu in Gisenyi Province, A/S Frazer met 
with COOPAC president Emmanuel Nzungize Rwakagara and 
ACDI/VOCA (USAID Food-for-Peace NGO grantee) Chief of Party 
Paul DeLucco, and observed first-hand various stages of the 
coffee washing and drying process.  COOPAC registered as a 
coffee cooperative in April 2001 with 110 coffee producers 
with the mission of improving the well-being of its members 
by promoting the cultivation, processing, and marketing of 
high quality Arabica Bourbon Mayaguez coffee.  Currently, 
2,198 members participate in the cooperative. 
 
¶4. (U) ACDI/VOCA Grants Coordinator Xaverine Uwimana noted 
that COOPAC is the largest coffee washing station in Rwanda, 
producing 400 metric tons of fully washed coffee per day. 
DeLucco pointed out that in November 2003 COOPAC was 
certified by Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International 
(FLO), permitting the cooperative to sell all of its 
first-year production of A Grade coffee at the FLO floor 
price of USD 1.26/lb., more than twice the prevailing market 
price of approximately USD 0.60/lb.  In 2004, gross export 
coffee sales from the cooperative generated USD 316,000 in 
revenues.  In 2005, gross export sales totaled USD 249,480 
due to poor rainfall in 2005.  ACDI/VOCA, the lead USAID 
implementing partner in this enterprise, provided direct 
grant assistance of approximately USD 250,000, including 
grants for construction and equipment of the washing station, 
and sponsored focused marketing visits to the U.S. and 
Europe. 
 
Visit to Mutobo Center 
---------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) At the Mutobo Demobilization and Reintegration Center, 
Dr. Frazer met with Jean Sayinzoga, Chairman of the Rwanda 
Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (RDRC), and 
Center Director Frank Musonera.  Musonera noted that the 
Center currently houses 153 former FDLR combatants, including 
7 who are temporarily visiting their home villages and 3 who 
have been admitted to the hospital for treatment of minor 
injuries.  (Note:  Under RDRC policy all returning 
ex-combatants are given a temporary pass to visit their 
 
families prior to beginning the demobilization training.  End 
note.)  The Center receives an average of 7 former combatants 
per week.  The last large group (of approximately 130 
ex-combatants) arrived with former FDLR Commander Brig. 
General Amani (ref A).  Since its opening in March 2003, the 
Center has graduated a total of 5,795 ex-combatants.  The 
60-day reintegration program established by the RDRC includes 
classes on national security, history of Rwanda, genocide and 
its consequences, human rights, patriotism, gender issues, 
the justice system, and the gacaca courts. 
 
¶6. (C/NF) Musonera explained that upon discharge each 
returnee is given 50,000 RF (about USD 90) and a discharge 
card to present to his home community as evidence that he has 
stopped fighting.  If reintegration is deemed successful, the 
returnee is given an additional 100,000 RF (about USD 180). 
RDRC has offices in every district and representatives to 
handle any problems with reintegration.  Each district is 
responsible for the daily follow-up of reintegrating 
ex-combatants.  When asked how the ex-combatants arrive at 
the Center, Musonera responded that MONUC transports them to 
the DRC-Rwanda border and hands them over to the GOR, and the 
RDRC transports them to the Center.  He commented that none 
of the graduates has returned to the DRC and none has been 
called to testify in gacaca courts.  (Note:  Post receiving 
conflicting confidential information that 5-10 percent have 
returned to eastern Congo.  End note.)  Musonera stated that 
the majority of suspected genocidaires are still in the 
Congo, and estimated the average age of returnees at 26, 
although some ex-FARDC are over the age of 40. 
 
¶7. (U) In her remarks to the attentive, disciplined audience 
of 143 ex-combatants, Frazer noted that she had just recently 
visited Goma and Kinshasa where she met with Congolese 
President Kabila, North Kivu Governor Serafuli, MONUC 
officials, and the Congolese Minister of Defense, and would 
meet with President Kagame and senior GOR officials during 
her visit to Rwanda.  She told them she had been sent by 
President Bush to better understand how to bring about 
regional security and wanted to better understand their life 
in the Congo, the challenges they had faced, and ways the USG 
can encourage their friends and colleagues to return home. 
She said she wanted to see for herself the success of the 
Rwandan demobilization and reintegration program she had 
heard about in Washington.  But most of all, she wanted to 
commend them for returning home and contributing to peace in 
their country and in the region. 
 
¶8. (C) All the ex-combatants who offered personal, individual 
testimony of their defection from the FDLR and arduous 
journey back to Rwanda spoke of the dangers and difficulties 
they had experienced and the long distances they had to 
travel to reach MONUC units.  They said their comrades in the 
DRC all want to return home but some of them have families in 
the DRC whom it would be difficult to leave behind. 
Approximately one-third of the group indicated by a show of 
hands that they had left families behind.  They also 
indicated that some of their compatriots were hesitant to 
return due to their lack of information about the situation 
on the ground in Rwanda.  They described life in the Congo as 
very difficult and MONUC as not helpful because MONUC units 
are too far from where FDLR units are based.  When asked how 
many had actually exchanged gunfire with MONUC, only six of 
the 143 ex-combatants indicated they had fought MONUC units. 
One ex-combatant stated that his unit never had the intention 
of fighting MONUC and that they fought only if their areas of 
operation happened to overlap.  He commented that MONUC knows 
the FDLR's areas of operation, but that the FDLR is more 
familiar with its own zones. 
 
¶9. (C) One former combatant, who had been badly wounded while 
deserting the FDLR, said that when his plans to desert became 
known to FDLR leadership, he was followed and shot.  He said 
that many combatants want to return to Rwanda but that they 
do not have the freedom to do so.  When asked what would 
help, he replied that MONUC forces need to move closer to the 
areas occupied by FDLR.  When asked what FDLR leaders 
specifically fear, he responded that the leaders tell the 
soldiers only that they want to overthrow the regime, but 
noted that gacaca is among the factors they seem to fear. 
 
¶10. (C) Another ex-combatant observed that MONUC fears the 
FDLR, but some FDLR soldiers fear MONUC.  He said that most 
of the FDLR leaders had fled Rwanda after committing 
atrocities and, therefore, fear being subjected to gacaca if 
they return, so they stay in the bush and keep others 
 
&hostage8 with them as cover.  He explained that most of 
the FDLR leaders know there is peace now in Rwanda and that 
this is why they do not want the rank and file to listen to 
Radio Rwanda and why they try to distort the message. 
Sometimes they even prohibit the soldiers from listening to 
the national anthem of Rwanda. 
 
¶11. (C) He reiterated that MONUC,s distance from FDLR bases 
makes it very difficult for FDLR soldiers to defect because 
the FDLR follows them and shoots them.  Another former 
combatant explained that it is increasingly dangerous as one 
moves further from the center of DRC territory and closer to 
the Rwandan border because the FDLR are deployed all around 
and as one moves further toward the border the FDLR becomes 
more suspicious.  Although MONUC is aware of all the routes 
to the border, the major routes are occupied by Congolese 
soldiers. 
 
¶12. (C) Another ex-combatant recounted that when he reached 
MONUC he was told that only he and another soldier who had 
weapons would be accepted while the four others without 
weapons would not be accepted.  The four were told to return 
to the FDLR as they did not have weapons to prove they were 
soldiers despite assurances from him and the other armed 
soldier that they were comrades.  The four soldiers rejected 
by MONUC returned to the bush and told their comrades that 
MONUC was discouraging others from coming out.  He surmised 
that perhaps MONUC was more interested in guns than the 
soldiers themselves.  The story that MONUC sent unarmed FDLR 
deserters back to retrieve their weapons was recounted by 
several ex-combatants who explained that sometimes they had 
heavy guns impossible to carry long distances.  Another 
ex-combatant, who was recruited by force while in the Congo 
in 2000, reported that some companions are still in Bukavu, 
refusing to return home. 
 
Parliamentary Roundtable 
------------------------ 
 
¶13. (U) During a roundtable discussion (reported septel) with 
five Rwandan parliamentarians representing a cross-section of 
political parties and a separate call on Senate president Dr. 
Vincent Biruta, A/S Frazer addressed recent developments in 
the Great Lakes region, human rights issues, the role of 
parliament in Rwanda, and the pace of reconciliation in the 
country.  The parliamentarians expressed gratitude for A/S 
Frazer,s interest in the FDLR issue, which they suggested 
had been overlooked by the international community.  Dr. 
Frazer stressed the importance not only of the international 
community and the Congolese government putting pressure on 
the FDLR to leave the Congo, but also of the GOR creating 
positive conditions in country that would serve as a &pull8 
factor in bringing the fighters home.  The parliamentarians 
strongly defended Rwanda,s human rights record, arguing that 
complaints by former government officials overseas are 
attempts at justification for asylum in countries with 
well-paid jobs rather than the result of a genuine fear of 
persecution in Rwanda. 
 
Meeting with President Kagame and Senior GOR Officials 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶14. (C) In a meeting April 6 (ref B) with President Kagame, 
Foreign Minister Murigande, Chef du Cabinet Kabija, and 
National Security Service Secretary General Ndahiro, Kagame 
provided Assistant Secretary Frazer with his perspective on 
improved relations between the GOR and GDRC and the 
performance of MONUC.  A/S Frazer engaged Kagame on Sudan and 
U.S.-Rwanda bilateral issues, including democracy and 
governance, socio-economic development and the Millennium 
Challenge Account. 
 
¶15. (C) Kagame expressed satisfaction with the current status 
of communications with the GDRC and said he understands the 
limits of MONUC and the Congolese Armed Forces.  Noting that 
the most dangerous risk to Rwanda is outside support to the 
FDLR, he held that the political aspect of the GOR-GDRC 
relationship is more important than the current lack of 
military action, which he said could be worked out over time. 
 Kagame noted that the Rwandan forces on the ground in Sudan 
were discouraged by the lack of progress made by the AU to 
help the people.  He agreed with Dr. Frazer's assessment that 
an Abuja agreement is unlikely in April.  He stated that the 
GOR's highest priorities remain socio-economic development 
and governance issues, and that the latter could be best 
handled internally.  Frazer noted that for Rwanda to qualify 
 
for Millennium Challenge Account threshold status it would 
have to change some negative external perceptions of Rwanda 
as well as improve performance in areas such as human rights 
and good governance. 
 
Meeting with Rwandan Envoy to Great Lakes Region 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶16. (C) During a private meeting April 8 with Dr. Richard 
Sezibera, Rwandan Presidential Envoy to the Great Lakes 
Region, A/S Frazer encouraged the GOR to play a more 
proactive role in supporting the proposed handover of the AU 
Mission in Darfur to the United Nations.  She noted that the 
AU had played a laudable role in establishing a foreign 
presence to stop the Darfur genocide, but the challenges and 
needs are now such that a UN operation, which would have more 
money and capability, is needed.  She noted that Sudan has 
already agreed to a UN Mission in southern Sudan and it is 
unacceptable that the AU should permit Sudan to have a veto 
over the proposed UN Darfur operation.  She expressed 
appreciation for Rwanda,s role in Darfur to date and 
encouraged the GOR to participate in the UN operation as 
well. 
 
¶17. (C) Sezibera acknowledged that the AU is having a 
difficult time handling the challenges of Darfur and that the 
Rwandan military agrees on the need for a more robust, better 
staffed and financed operation.  He lamented the failure of 
senior AU officials to even visit Darfur.  While indicating 
support for the USG position, Sezibera underscored the fact 
that Sudan is insisting on a peace agreement prior to 
agreeing to a UN force and that this is a problem for the AU. 
 
¶18. (C) Sezibera agreed with A/S Frazer,s assessment of the 
situation in the DRC, noting that Rwandan-Congolese relations 
are much better today than in the past.  The GOR continues to 
believe that MONUC is making insufficient efforts to confront 
the FDLR, but recognizes that immediate priorities in the 
Congo will focus on the holding of the June elections.  He 
confirmed that FDLR leader Ignace Murwanashyaka had left 
Congo and was now in Germany under detention.  He charged 
that Ugandan authorities had been aware of his transit 
through Uganda and had, in fact, met with him. 
 
¶19. (C) Sezibera welcomed the ongoing GOR-USG dialogue on 
human rights and democracy issues.  He reiterated the GOR 
view that the USG does not give Rwanda sufficient credit for 
what it has achieved and that it is a mistake to minimize the 
problems the country faces in recovering from the genocide. 
He agreed that the Embassy should propose a series of next 
steps to deepen the dialogue and address specific issues in 
more depth. 
 
National Genocide Commemoration 
------------------------------- 
 
¶20. (U) In his public remarks (delivered mostly in 
Kinyarwandan) at the 12th National Genocide Commemoration on 
April 7 in Nyamasheke in the Western Province, President 
Kagame highlighted the commemoration as a time of remembrance 
for the victims of the Genocide.  He acknowledged that the 
Genocide is &a bad history,8 but Rwanda,s history 
nevertheless.  He urged Rwanda to have the courage to face 
its own history and problems and the causes and consequences 
of the Genocide.  Avoiding the consequences, he said, would 
be comparable to standing by and doing nothing or even 
participating in the killings during the Genocide. 
 
¶21. (U) He pointed out that although difficult it is 
important to try to understand Rwanda,s history so that the 
atrocities that occurred will never happen again.  He noted 
that Rwandans lost their dignity and self-respect when they 
killed each other.  He added that foreign countries and 
foreigners bear different levels of responsibility; some 
merely supported the killers, while others participated in 
the killings, but they are just as criminal as the Rwandans 
who participated.  He urged Rwandans to speak the truth, be 
patient, forgive, look to the future, and work together to 
build a better country that restores dignity and humanity to 
all Rwandans and promotes respect for every human being. 
 
¶22. (U) He stressed that outside critics need to understand 
that Rwanda,s history is complicated and that Rwanda is 
doing everything it can to grapple with its difficult past 
and to rebuild the country.  Rwanda, he said, does not owe 
anything to anyone; it owes itself the debt of facing its own 
 
history and problems.  He stressed, however, that everyone -- 
Rwandans and foreigners alike -) have a responsibility for 
&the bad history.8 
 
¶23. (U) He pointed out that divisionism has been part of 
Rwanda,s history, not a pretext or rumor, which Rwanda must 
address.  He emphasized that the root causes of divisionism 
that led to the genocide must be uprooted and that Rwanda 
needs everyone,s support and understanding in this 
difficult, long-term endeavor, not &unfounded criticism8 or 
&lessons on politics.8  Rwanda has had enough of political 
lessons through the bloody history it lived through.  He 
lauded the many heroic survivors and rescuers, some of whom 
shared their personal testimonies at the commemoration event, 
as the true unsung heroes. 
 
Press Roundtable 
---------------- 
 
¶24. (U) During an April 8 roundtable with pro-government and 
independent senior print and broadcast media representatives, 
discussion focused on regional stability, human rights, 
Darfur, and the national genocide anniversary.  In her 
opening remarks, A/S Frazer noted that the purpose of her 
visit to the region was to look at regional stability and 
security issues and to assess the usefulness of the 
Tripartite Plus mechanism.  She noted the positive 
developments taking place in the DRC, but highlighted the 
need to address lingering sources of instability in the 
region, notably the FDLR's continued presence in the DRC. 
She also noted the USG's continued efforts to promote 
economic development and reconciliation in Rwanda.  While in 
Rwanda, she said she had the opportunity to meet with a broad 
range of officials, including parliamentarians, and to visit 
a USG-funded coffee cooperative. 
 
¶25. (U) When asked by a Radio 10 reporter Theophile Ndizihiwe 
for comment on the U.S. Human Rights Report on Rwanda, Frazer 
noted positive developments in a number of areas and welcomed 
the GOR's formation of a high-level inter-ministerial working 
group to examine human rights issues and the government's 
willingness to engage in dialogue on these issues. 
Responding to a question from Radio Contact FM reporter 
Eugene Mutara on the U.S. perspective twelve years after the 
1994 genocide, Frazer said that the challenge of 
reconciliation in Rwanda, where the people who killed and 
those with family members who died during the genocide 
continue to live side by side, cannot be underestimated. 
Rwanda stands as a symbol of what cannot be allowed to happen 
again, which is why the USG has been actively engaged in 
efforts to resolve the Darfur conflict. 
 
¶26. (U) In response to a query from The New Times Sub-Chief 
Editor Julius Mwesigye on the USG position on reparations for 
genocide survivors, Frazer replied that it is an internal 
Rwandan matter on which the USG does not have a position. 
She said the USG will continue to assist 
in the development of civil society and the economy of 
Rwanda, noting the need to increase the prosperity of all 
Rwandans.  Reuters reporter Arthur Assimwe asked Frazer for 
her reaction to President Kagame's speech at the April 7 
National Genocide Commemoration.  Frazer responded that she 
took Kagame's message in a positive light, noting that Rwanda 
has a very difficult path ahead, with difficult issues 
requiring difficult solutions.  She stressed that it 
is important that criticisms made by outsiders take this into 
account. 
 
¶27. (U) Radio Rwanda reporter Isaac Mugabi asked whether the 
U.S. is active in Sudan only because of the presence of oil 
and whether the U.S. believes genocide is taking place in 
Darfur.  Frazer responded that the U.S. has repeatedly stated 
that genocide is taking place in Sudan and that the U.S. is 
involved in Sudan for one reason -- to end the killings 
there.  The U.S. first took an active role in 2001 in peace 
negotiations between North and South Sudan when President 
Bush saw that civilians were being killed and decided the 
U.S. needed to do what it could to bring the killings to an 
end.  Frazer noted that the U.S. has imposed sanctions on 
Sudan and that she has not approved a single request for any 
American oil company to explore oil opportunities in Sudan. 
Frazer praised the initiatives taken by countries such as 
Senegal, South Africa, Rwanda, and Nigeria, and called on 
other African countries to speak out against the killings in 
Sudan.  Noting that the international community previously 
established a successful model in Burundi for the transfer of 
 
African Union peacekeeping forces to a UN force, Frazer 
stated that she did not see why this model could not be 
successful in Sudan 
as well. 
 
¶28. (U) Agence France Press reporter Helen Vesperini asked 
how concerned the USG is over the deterioration in relations 
between Uganda and Rwanda and whether the U.S. had any 
reaction to the reports that the political head of the FDLR 
had been arrested.  Frazer responded that she was not too 
concerned about relations between Uganda and Rwanda, noting 
that many of the issues can be resolved through normal 
diplomatic channels and that both countries participate in 
the Tripartite Plus mechanism which provides another means 
for resolving any areas of contention.  Frazer said she was 
much more concerned with Ituri and the porous border between 
the DRC and Rwanda.  She said she had not seen any reports on 
the FDLR leader's recent capture and, therefore, could not 
comment.  She noted, however, that she had visited the Mutobo 
Center and had spoken extensively with several former FDLR 
Combatants, many of whom had been only children when they 
left Rwanda and who had run a great risk of being shot when 
running toward MONUC positions to give themselves up.  She 
commented that FDLR leaders were attempting to justify their 
continued presence in the DRC by keeping followers around 
them. 
 
¶29. (U) Focus Editor Evan Weinberger inquired whether the USG 
supports sending Charles Taylor to the International Criminal 
Court (ICC) for trial.  Frazer noted that it is not an issue 
of ICC jurisdiction but a question of the trial's venue.  The 
U.S. has no objection to a change in venue.  The courts in 
The Hague have the necessary facilities to handle such a 
trial.  On a follow-up question on the implications of 
Taylor's arrest, Frazer said that it 
should serve as an example to the Sudanese leadership that 
officials in Africa are increasingly being brought to justice 
for their actions.  In response to a second follow-up 
question as to whether Rwandan and Ugandan officials also 
should be held accountable for their actions, Frazer said 
that she could not speak in abstract terms but that there is 
no reason to rule out any official being brought to justice. 
She noted that even Charles Taylor has the right to a defense 
and that all such cases should be tried in accordance with 
the rule of law. 
 
¶30. (U) The New Times Sub-Chief Editor Mwesigye asked whether 
the USG is satisfied with preparations in the DRC for the 
upcoming presidential elections.  Frazer noted she was 
encouraged by the large number of Congolese who have 
registered to vote and that the Congolese government, with 
the support of the UN and other organizations, is working 
hard to prepare for the elections.  She noted, however, that 
a tight schedule had been set for the elections and that it 
may be necessary to push back the election date beyond the 
currently scheduled June 18.  While every effort should be 
directed toward holding elections as scheduled, many 
administrative and logistical tasks would have to be 
completed for that to happen.  She expressed the hope that if 
the date does slide, it would not slide far.  In response to 
a follow-up question regarding the delay in printing of 
ballots, Frazer explained her understanding that the UN is 
reviewing unsolicited bids for ballot printing and is in the 
process of awarding a contract.  She said the UN has 
expertise and experience in this area and that it is a normal 
part of the process for the UN to work with the Congolese 
government in this aspect of the election. 
 
¶31. (U) Radio 10 reporter Ndizihiwe inquired about the UN 
Rapporteur,s report on USG detentions at Guantanamo and 
whether the U.S. plans to shut down the detention facility. 
Frazer responded that UN investigators have a role to play, 
but that it would have been helpful had they visited the 
facility before drafting their report.  Given the continuing 
war on terrorism as well as the need to detain those who 
constitute a threat to the U.S., she indicated that she did 
not anticipate that the detention facility would be closed 
any time soon. 
ARIETTI