VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0283 0831212
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 241212Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2569

UNCLAS KIGALI 000283 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/C 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MOPS PGOV PREL CG RW
SUBJECT: AJELLO VISIT TO RWANDAN DEMOBILIZATION CENTER 
 
REF: KIGALI 004 
 
 Sensitive but UNCLASS. Please Protect Accordingly. 
 
¶1. (U) Summary. On 17 March Ambassador Aldo Ajello, EU 
Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, visited Mutobo 
Demobilization and Reintegration Center. Poloff accompanied 
the EU delegation to a special site visit set up by the 
Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (RDRC) to 
introduce Ajello to a group of ex-combatants who reportedly 
recently returned from the DRC. Ajello heard directly from 
former Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) 
combatants that their two biggest issues are leaving behind 
dependents in eastern Congo and making the difficult journey 
to Rwanda despite impediments by the FARDC and MONUC. End 
Summary. 
¶2. (U) The event was attended by the European Commission Head 
of Mission, the French, British and Ugandan Ambassadors, 
political officers from the Dutch, Belgian and Burundian 
Embassies and representatives from MONUC, the World Bank and 
the Rwandan press corps.  Jean Sayinzoga, Chairman of the 
RDRC, gave Ajello a briefing and a short tour of the center. 
The Ajello delegation then met with a group of approximately 
120 ex-combatants waiting for the start of the next training 
phase. 
 
¶3. (U) Ajello listened to three ex-FDLR combatants from the 
group describe their experiences leaving eastern DRC (Note. A 
volunteer from the group acted as interpreter for Ajello 
translating between Kinyarwanda and French. End note.). The 
group of men ranged from 18 years old to the mid-40s and 
seemed to be in good health. They described similar 
difficulties getting to Rwanda including: leaving behind 
families, avoiding Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) units for 
fear of capture, and capitulating to MONUC.  When Ajello 
asked the group as a whole who had left wives and children in 
the DRC over half raised their hands.  Ajello praised the 
group for their willingness to return, encouraged them to 
successfully reintegrate into their communities and pledged 
that the international community would continue to work to 
improve the security situation in eastern Congo. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Comment.  What was originally planned as an 
unofficial visit of the 'comite de suivi' ('follow-up 
committee') by the British Ambassador devolved into a 
standard Mutobo visit complete with ex-combatant testimony 
(and dancing), and a speech to the returnees and press. There 
were no surprises, the two primary and familiar complaints 
from the ex-combatants were the need to leave behind family 
and the accusations of incompetence and worse directed at 
MONUC and the FARDC.  While Ambassador Ajello probably did 
not learn anything new, he likely benefited, as all visitors 
do, from seeing firsthand the center and the successful 
demobilization and reintegration program the GOR has in place 
for returning ex-combatants (reftel). 
ARIETTI