VZCZCXRO0518
PP RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHGI #0196/01 2511527
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 081527Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY BANGUI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1028
INFO RUEHBZ/AMEMBASSY BRAZZAVILLE 0203
RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 0118
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0308
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 0319
RUEHLC/AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE 0218
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0493
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 0480
RUEHGI/AMEMBASSY BANGUI 1293

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGUI 000196 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C 
PARIS FOR RKANEDA 
LONDON FOR PLORD 
NAIROBI  FOR AKARAS 
AFRICOM FOR JKUGEL 
INR FOR CNEARY 
DRL FOR SCRAMPTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR ECON CT
SUBJECT: CAR: STARVING IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN 
 
REF: A. A 09 Bangui 152 
     ¶B. REF: B 09 Bangui 155 and previous 
     ¶C. REF: C 09 Bangui 190 
     ¶D. REF: D 09 Bangui 181 
     ¶E. REF: E 09 Bangui 191 
     ¶F. REF: F 09 Bangui 182 
     ¶G. REF: G 09 Bangui 190; 09 Bangui 50; 07 Bangui 292 
     ¶H. REF: H 09 Bangui 172 
     ¶I. REF: I 09 Bangui 123 
 
BANGUI 00000196  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Despite massive natural wealth that should 
provide a comfortable standard of living for its 4.3 million 
inhabitants, the CAR continues to struggle with extreme poverty, 
malnutrition, rampant banditry and several festering 
insurgencies.  Our key goals of promoting a stable and 
prosperous state at the heart of Africa and alleviating the 
humanitarian crisis are inhibited by a government focused almost 
exclusively on the immediate enrichment of a tiny political 
elite known as the ``Oubanguian'', which has not proven to be a 
sincere partner for private investment or international 
development assistance.  In this challenging context, Post seeks 
to work with Washington and international partners to develop a 
strategy for the following time horizons: 
 
-- SHORT TERM: alleviation of immediate humanitarian needs and 
preparation for national elections in 2010; 
 
-- MEDIUM TERM: reinforcing the peace process and security 
sector reform to promote basic stability and strengthen civil 
society and constitutional institutions outside of the 
executive; 
 
-- LONG TERM: development of natural and human resources that 
will obviate the need for further humanitarian assistance and 
make the CAR an exporter of food instead of refugees. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) 2010 promises to be a critical year for the Central 
African Republic (CAR). According to the constitution, the 
government must conduct elections in the first half of the year. 
In 2008 it looked like there was serious progress towards nation 
reconciliation - a national amnesty was declared and several 
rebel groups signed peace accords and agreed to meet with the 
government (CARG) for a national political dialogue. Former 
president Patasse even returned to the CAR for the dialogue. 
Behind the scenes, however, things were already beginning to 
unravel. Actions within the UFDR rebel group as well as actions 
by the CARG to ``reform'' the diamond trade cut off thousands 
from their livelihoods (Ref A), leading to new violence in areas 
previously at peace, new refugee flows to Chad, the formal 
announcement of new rebel groups (Ref A and B), and increasing 
reports of malnutrition in both conflict and non-conflict areas 
(Ref C). The ``Government of National Unity'' is widely viewed 
as anything but, and the committees charged with implementing 
the conclusions of the dialogue and organizing the 2010 
elections are not seen to be making any progress (Ref D). With 
this as background, and at the two year anniversary of restoring 
U.S./CAR relations to the ambassadorial level, a review of 
AmEmbassy Bangui's programs and goals is warranted. 
 
--------------------------- 
MOVING BACKWARD 
-------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU)During meetings with colleagues in the diplomatic corps, 
NGO representatives, reporters and others, we often pull out a 
post-independence historical map of the CAR which graphically 
demonstrates (at least theoretically) the economic and 
infrastructural development the country once enjoyed.  Since 
then, the country has been in decline: 
 
-- In 2008, the Central African Republic ranked 178 out of 179 
on the Human Development Index.  CAR and the Democratic Republic 
of Congo are the only countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that have 
not improved human development since the 1980s. 
 
-- The UN has recorded about 130,000 people are displaced 
 
BANGUI 00000196  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
internally, in addition to 70,000 refugees in Chad and another 
40,000 in Cameroon. There are only a few in Sudan, but this may 
increase due to recent Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) activity 
(Ref E). 
 
 
-- A forthcoming UNICEF report reveals that many areas of the 
country are suffering a population decline due to extreme infant 
and maternal mortality rates (Ref F). 
 
-- Since the end of the reign of Emperor Bokassa in 1979, the 
number of large firms operating in CAR has dropped from over 300 
to around 30. 
 
-- According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, 300,000 children 
(those members of the population under 18) have lost one or both 
parents to HIV/AIDS. The national HIV/AIDS rate is said to be 
six percent but is much higher in Bangui and the number overall 
is growing. 
 
-- This is despite massive natural resources - particularly 
diamonds, gold, iron, uranium, and tropical woods - and fertile 
land (the CAR once supported flourishing cotton, tobacco, and 
coffee industries).  Contacts indicate that only a fraction of 
diamond exports pass through the formal state apparatus and 
contribute to the budget through customs fees. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The disasters that the Central African Republic endures 
are not natural or caused by external political forces, but are 
rather man-made and indigenous .  The numerous rebel groups 
compete with the government and each other not on the basis of 
ideological differences, but due to the personal ambitions of 
their leaders and competition over natural resources (diamond 
mines in particular).  With the exception of sporadic LRA 
activity in the sparsely populated far east, conflict within the 
CAR has caused extensive problems and outward refugee flows 
towards Chad in the north and Sudan in the northeast (Ref G). 
The CARG is quick to request assistance while at the same time 
attempting to extort money from international firms that would 
employ thousands of Central Africans and contribute millions to 
the treasury if allowed to do business (Ref I). 
 
------------------- 
OUR MESSAGE 
------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) In line with our primary goal to support a stable and 
prosperous state, we have consistently broadcast the following 
messages to our Central African interlocutors: 
 
-- To the rebels: President Bozize is the recognized, elected 
leader of the CAR.  The rebels have no ideological, religious, 
or ethnic justification to take up arms against the government. 
Indeed their only legitimate recourse is the peace process and 
elections. 
 
-- To opposition leaders: The USG supports the democratic 
process, not partisan organizations.  You must convince the 
population of your merit by explaining a cohesive platform for 
development, not simply criticizing the current administration. 
 
-- To the CARG: We support you as the legitimate representatives 
of the CAR, but as good governance reinforces this legitimacy, 
rampant corruption, human rights abuses, and pervasive 
mismanagement weakens it.  A favorable business environment, one 
that encourages domestic and foreign private investment, is the 
answer for long-term development, not international assistance. 
 
¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: Our challenge is to accomplish our security, 
humanitarian, and development goals while dealing with a 
government whose highest priorities are abusing the tools of 
state to manipulate a clan spoils system and stay in power. 
Reftel H details our short-term resource needs at the embassy . 
In the longer-term, we believe that strengthening civil society 
and key institutions (judiciary, legislature, army) outside of 
the core executive could lead to a balance of power. Building 
 
BANGUI 00000196  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
upon President Obama's message in Accra, this support of 
institutions and civil society will hopefully provide Central 
Africans with the tools to succeed in their own right.  Our 
incipient elections program will begin this process by informing 
the population of the electoral process and giving local NGOs 
the tools to serve as watchdogs. The expansion of Radio Ndeke 
Luka's broadcast reach and programming capacities will be 
central not only to election year activities, but also to our 
long term efforts to encourage human rights, good governance and 
civic engagement. We are also facilitating the development of a 
program of engagement between AFRICOM and the army, which will 
provide capacity building to engage in humanitarian projects and 
show the CARG that they have something to gain from cooperation 
with the USG. END COMMENT. 
COOK