VZCZCXYZ0065
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0731/01 2131414
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 011414Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3055

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIGALI 000731 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/C, PRM AND IO 
EUCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2016 
TAGS: ECIN KPKO KSUM MOPS PREF PREL AU RW TZ SU
SUBJECT: GOR'S POSITION ON AU SUMMIT, AMIS AND TANZANIAN 
TREATMENT OF RWANDAN EXILES 
 
 
Classified By: Poloff GLearned, reason 1.4(d) 
 
¶1. (U) Summary.  On 25 July Rwandan foreign affairs and 
defense officials briefed diplomatic corps on a variety of 
issues including the African Union (AU) Summit, the GOR's 
position on The Great Lakes Conference, the African Union 
Mission in Sudan (AMIS) and the African Peer Review Mechanism 
(APRM).  The presentation also included the GOR's current 
position on the recent return of Rwandan nationals from 
Tanzania and specific Rwandan Defense Force (RDF) criticisms 
of AMIS.  According to Minster of State in charge of 
Cooperation Rosemary Museminari, the GOR is happy with the 
APRM peer review report delivered in Banjul.  She reported 
that the governments of Rwanda and Tanzania would form a 
joint task force to investigate the cases of Rwandan 
nationals allegedly forcibly returned to Rwanda by GOT 
forces.  And Rwandan Colonel Michael Nkurunziza detailed the 
GOR,s criticism of the AMIS.  End summary. 
 
GOR View of the AU Summit 
------------------------- 
¶2. (U) After a brief introduction by Foreign Minister Charles 
Murigande, Museminari reported the following from the Banjul 
AU Summit: 
-- AU leaders rejected a Libyan proposal to develop a "United 
States of Africa" but recognized and reaffirmed the eight 
standing Regional Economic Communities (COMESA, ECOWAS, EAC, 
etc.) as the key institutions to further integrate African 
economies. 
-- The Rwandan APRM report "was received warmly" in Banjul, 
Museminari divided the GOR's response into three categories: 
      - Best practices.  Museminari noted the GOR's high 
marks for low corruption, good governance and its 
de-centralization plan. 
      - Improvements.  The GOR recognized the need for 
capacity building in certain sectors.  (Note.  Museminari did 
not specify which sectors. End note.) 
      - Criticisms.  The GOR "agrees to disagree" with APRM 
report's position on gacaca and the political party forum. 
She commented that the APRM did not account for the unique 
context of Rwanda's historical situation and she added that 
the "GOR seeks the understanding and help of partners to 
explain this to others." 
-- The Great Lakes Conference on the margins of the AU summit 
was chaired by Tanzania and discussed the following issues: 
      - Dates for next Great Lakes Summit: 12-15 Dec 2006. 
      - The permanent location of Secretariat.  Candidates 
are Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia 
      - Leadership of Secretariat.  Candidates are Tanzania, 
Uganda and Sudan. 
      - Modalities to establish Secretariat. 
-- Museminari had the following comments about the AU Peace 
and Security Commission meeting chaired by South Africa: 
      - The GOR is happy the Darfur Peace Agreement is in 
place and agrees that the rebels who haven't signed it need 
to be monitored, however, there is no need for sanctions yet. 
      - The AMIS financial problems, including the payment of 
Rwandan troops, are a serious problem. 
      - The AMIS Political and Military leadership is 
unsatisfactory. 
      - The government of Sudan will not accept an AMIS 
re-hat to UN. 
      - There is no current AMIS mandate to deal with the 
Chad-Sudan issue, any mandate expansion will depend on the 
troop contributing countries. 
      - There is no AU consensus on how to deal with the 
Somalia situation, but Rwanda does not support the "radical 
Islamic elements." 
 
Rwandans Expelled from Tanzania 
------------------------------- 
¶3. (C) Museminari reported that she went to Rwandan-Tanzanian 
border with Tanzanian Ambassador Alexander Muganda to 
investigate the flow of Rwandan nationals recently forced to 
return to Rwanda.   (Background.  UNHCR, NGOs and press 
report that Tanzanian government forces have forcibly 
expelled up to 1,000 Rwandan nationals from western Tanzania. 
  On 20 July, Chris Huggins (protect), Human Rights Watch 
country representative,  told poloff that the recently 
expelled Rwandans claimed that in the process of forcing them 
from Tanzania, members of Tanzanian military, militia and 
police forces had stolen cattle and other property, burned 
huts, separated families and raped women. The majority of the 
recently expelled Rwandans are currently residing in 
temporary shelter in the Kiyanzi transit camp, Kirehe 
District, Eastern Province.  End background.)  Museminari 
announced that there would be a GOR-GOT joint committee 
formed to study each individual case and determine a course 
of action.  (Note.  In a private conversation that evening, 
Ambassador Muganda told poloff that the Rwandans were removed 
 
from Tanzania because they were illegal immigrants who did 
not have the appropriate Tanzanian documentation and had 
never applied for a legal status as refugees or as permanent 
residents.  He indicated that the GOT considered them 
Rwandans that need to remain in Rwanda.  End note.) 
 
RDF Expresses Dissatisfaction with AMIS 
--------------------------------------- 
¶4. (U) RDF Colonel Michael Nkurunziza closed the presentation 
with a summary of the RDF's role in AMIS.  After outlining 
the basics of the Rwandan participation in the mission (over 
1,700 troops and 30 Military observers), Nkurunziza directed 
criticism at AMIS political and military leadership.  He said 
the RDF was "not happy with the management of AU", that the 
Force Headquarters was "ineffective" and the leadership was 
"nervous" as to when and how to deploy the troops. 
Nkurunziza remarked that troops from other nations would not 
"go the extra mile" and he specifically criticized AU 
leadership for continually paying the Rwandan troops late, 
noting that payments have regularly been up to two months in 
arrears.  Nkurunziza closed by stating the GOR would be happy 
to pledge troops to a UN Force if effective leadership was in 
place, but would be forced to question its continued 
commitment to AMIS if it continues to be ineffective. 
 
¶5. (C) Comment.  While he did not name names in his 
presentation, Col. Nkurunziza,s attacks were targeted at the 
Nigerian leadership and the conduct of the South African 
patrol who surrendered their weapons without a fight.  At 
both the military and political levels, the Rwandans have 
made no secret of their lack of faith in the ability of AMIS. 
 
 
¶6. (C) Despite the understandable frustration over the 
reported lack of medicine and late payments it is unlikely 
that the GOR, granted ACOTA status this year, would take the 
extreme step of withdrawing from AMIS this late in the game. 
End comment. 
ARIETTI