VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKI #0658/01 1641341
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 131341Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6300
INFO RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1151

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 000658 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C MADEEHA ASHRAF, JANE GAFFNEY 
INR/AA JENNIFER PEKKINEN, JOHN BERNTSEN 
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS GREG D'ELIA, ROBERT KANEDA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR PINS CF
SUBJECT: BRAZZAVILLE/CONGO:  "WALK IN THE WOODS" WITH 
PASTEUR NTUMI 
 
REF: A. BRAZZAVILLE 000260 
     ¶B. BRAZZAVILLE 000180 
     ¶C. BRAZZAVILLE 000124 
     ¶D. BRAZZAVILLE 000079 
 
Classified By: DCM Mark J. Biedlingmaier, Reasons 1.4(b)(d) 
 
¶1.   (U)  DCM represented Embassy Brazzaville at the June 8 
closing ceremony for the two-day "concertation" which took 
place in the former ex-Ninja rebel stronghold of Kinkala in 
the heart of the Pool region.  Unlike the high-profile, 
security-charged environment witnessed the preceding day by 
the Ambassador (reported reftel A) - with the presence of 
Prime Minister Isidore Mvouba, representing the 
host-government, and Frederic Bintsamou (Pasteur Ntumi), 
representing his newly-chartered political party, the 
"National Council of Republicans," or CNR - the June 8 event 
progressed peacefully in a spirit of a general reconciliation 
and healing for all citizens and tribes of the Congo.  Bishop 
Louis Portella-Mbuya, prelate of Kinkala and president of the 
Episcopal Conference of Congo, led an emotional, four-hour 
ecumenical service with the participation of his counterparts 
from the Evangelical Church of Congo, the Salvation Army, 
Kimbangist cult, and "les sages" (the wise men or "elders") 
of the Lari, Sundi and Teke tribes indigenous to the Pool. 
 
¶2.  (U)  A symbolic cleansing of the nation, its people, of 
both past and present generations, mothers and children, 
fathers and forefathers of the Congo tribes was performed to 
absolve sins and atrocities committed during the civil war 
period.  The elder representing Congo's Teke King then 
"rebaptized" the village of Kinkala and distributed kola 
nuts, a token of peace and healing, to members of the 
diplomatic corps and the assembly.  In remarks translated 
from the Lari language, he exhorted the gathering to go forth 
and "plant new grain throughout the country to enjoy a 
harvest of peace" in the years ahead, to put aside tribal 
differences and to accept the blessings and pardon of this 
day's events.  At the conclusion of the ceremony, the 
diplomatic corps and other guests were invited to a cocktail 
reception and luncheon co-hosted by the Prefet of Kinkala and 
the Archbishop of Brazzaville, Msgr. Anatole Malandou. 
 
¶3.  (C)  Upon exiting the prefecture conference hall, the DCM 
was discretely approached by CNR National Secretary, Joseph 
Mbizi, and unexpectedly, asked to accompany him to a private 
meeting with Pasteur Ntumi on the outskirts of Kinkala.  For 
the past year, Mbizi has served as liaison between Ntumi's 
CNR party staff members and the Brazzaville "Ambassadors' 
Roundtable," comprised of representatives of the French, 
U.S., Belgian, Italian and South African embassies, the 
European Union, UNDP and the Apostolic Nunicature.  This 
collective has provided guidance, through frequent contacts 
with Bishop Portella, to both CNR and the Prime Minister's 
office, on a viable framework to resolve the longstanding 
Pool crisis, in particular, the re-integration and disarming 
of ex-rebel combatants and on the economic revitalization and 
social development of this depressed region. 
 
¶4.  (C)   The DCM and BBC correspondent, John James, who by 
coincidence had asked to carpool with embassy staff to the 
concertation, were driven to an isolated valley approximately 
10 miles from Kinkala, asked to park their vehicle, and walk 
five minutes to a verdant field of orchard trees and 
sagebrush to the meeting site.  Ntumi received his visitors 
in a small clearing set with three chairs and in the presence 
of only one armed guard.  A handful of advisors sat within a 
comfortable listening distance to the group, while 3-4 guards 
remained posted at the entrance of the clearing to guard the 
vehicles and monitor traffic on a nearby access road.  After 
initial pleasantries and introductions, the DCM engaged Ntumi 
in an hour-long conversation, touching on topics ranging from 
the recently-completed concertation process, his relations 
with former Prime Minister Bernard Kolelas, ex-President 
Pascal Lissouba (currently in exile in Paris), and his 
adversary during the civil war, President Denis 
Sassou-Nguesso.  For his part, Ntumi introduced into 
the dialogue, prospects for re-integration of the 
ex-Ninjas into the community, economic and social 
development in the Pool, his views on the upcoming 
legislative elections, and the perceived role of the 
diplomatic and international community to sustain peace in 
the Republic of Congo. 
 
¶5.  (C)  Surprisingly, Ntumi posed no objection to Mr. James' 
request to tape the conversation, and instead claimed that 
this would be a welcome opportunity "to have the truth about 
Frederic Bintsamou and the CNR broadcast to the world."  In a 
 
light-hearted moment, the three men shared a laugh when James 
noted that his BBC predecessor twice-removed, Mr. Francois 
Bikindou, who also interviewed Pasteur Ntumi in 2002, was 
expelled from the Congo days after publishing a news report 
deemed critical of President Sassou-Nguesso, the PCT party 
and the dubious business dealings of the president's 
immediate family.  Ntumi quipped that there are inherent 
dangers in each of our professions, then added, "we must do 
whatever is necessary to accomplish the task." 
 
¶6.  (C)  Asked whether or not he thought the concertation 
process had been a success, Ntumi made the following 
observerations:   The concertation, not a CNR initiative, had 
been "imposed" on him by the mediators (Bishop Portella) and 
the host government (Prime Minister Ivouba), and it did not 
fully represent the will nor address the true needs of the 
people in the Pool region.  He felt the process had been 
somewhat manipulated by the premature announcement of his 
appointment as a "special delegate of the President for 
humanitarian affairs for those affected by the civil war," a 
position which had been ill-defined from the onset of 
negotiations and did not spell out in proper legal fashion 
the privileges, immunities and entitlements normally accorded 
to ministers or envoys of this rank.  Ntumi stated that he 
would require sufficient "guarantees" for his personal 
security from President Sassou-Nguesso before returning to 
Brazzaville to assume any position, noting that in many camps 
he is still viewed as a belligerent, guerilla leader 
who Sassou considers as a prime adversary.  He then 
asked rhetorically, if the host government had 
considered him an equal partner in the peace 
process, why was he required to borrow a truck to use as 
transportation to the June 7 concertation in Kinkala, while 
the Prime Minister and other government officials arrived by 
helicopter, elaborate motorcades and with rings of security? 
Should he not have been accorded similar privileges?  Asked 
by Mr. James whether he would be prepared to take his seat in 
Parliament if elected as a delegate in the June 24 election, 
Ntumi reiterated that he would be unable to do so until 
appropriate measures to ensure his personal security had been 
addressed and support by the international and diplomatic 
community provided to preclude "any unfortunate accident" 
which might befall him.  In a rather sentimental tone, Ntumi 
noted that he had not visited Brazzaville in over ten years, 
and although his residence and other possessions had been 
destroyed during the civil war, he would welcome the 
chance to restart his life there "in a new light." 
 
¶7.  (C)  Ntumi expressed strong interest in U.S. engagement 
internationally in the fields of disarmament, anti-narcotics 
trafficking, economic development and globalization.  He 
stated that, after having conducted detailed personal 
research and analysis, he believed that English-language 
skills and access to information technology were essential to 
sustain economic growth in the Pool region and would be a 
staircase to success for young, disadvantaged youth (and 
ex-combatants) eager to re-integrate into society after years 
of turmoil.  He offered the philosophical view that a man 
could only succeed once he took on responsibility, built a 
home to serve as his foundation and that of his family, and 
became a productive member of society rather than wonder 
aimlessly as a vagabond.  This path toward responsibility, he 
believed, would lessen anxiety and allow many in the region 
to return to a normal life and eventually preserve their 
dignity which had been stripped during the last generation. 
At present, Ntumi stated, there was no educational 
plan for the Pool, only limited medical care 
and social services (note: UNDP estimates of 2-3 
trained physicians to cover a population of 250,000 
inhabitants), and sparse commercial activity or employment 
opportunities.  Ntumi said that former President Pascal 
Lissouba had encouraged strong ties with the United States in 
the 1990s, and Ntumi, a young student at the time, had 
visions of studying English and attending a U.S. university 
to master international law, political science or 
psychology/sociology - and would welcome this opportunity 
even today. 
 
¶8.  (C)   Ntumi stated that he appreciated the example set by 
the United States as a "society of laws," and in the face of 
revolt, as that experienced in Republic of Congo during the 
civil war, society had collapsed and was unable to sustain 
its institutions, internal security or adherence to 
democratic principles.  He blamed President Sassou-Nguesso 
for embarking on a campaign of terror against his own people 
with the support of Angolan-provided helicopters and heavy 
weaponry to track down and kill opponents to his regime.  In 
this context, Ntumi viewed himself, and his ex-Ninja 
 
soldiers, more as defenders or freedom fighters, rather than 
rebels or a  guerilla movement.  He asked why the diplomatic 
community, especially the French, had not exposed these 
atrocities of war in 1997 and held Sassou-Nguesso accountable 
for his actions before a world tribunal or international 
court of justice?  Ntumi felt that the French, and other 
countries (unnamed), were therefore complicit in this tragic 
period of Congolese history; however, he was optimistic 
that a viable peace process could "reset the clock to 
ground zero" and heralded his action to sign a 
cease fire accord a step in the right direction. 
Mr. James asked whether Ntumi intended to boycott 
the June 24 electoral process, or, if he planned to stand for 
election as a delegate.  Ntumi replied that, after carefully 
consideration, CNR would support the elections as yet another 
sign of his commitment to the host government to keep the 
peace process moving forward.  He predicted that, if the 
elections went poorly, this would not bode well for President 
Sassou-Nguesso or for the Republic of Congo.  He called on 
the president to issue a full and open declaration on 
activities of the National Electoral Commission and address 
concerns that a credible national census take place prior to 
the 2009 campaign to accurately reflect voter rolls in the 
north and south of the country.  Ntumi stated that, at 
present, those from the north were extremely satisfied with 
the current political situation, as they claim to 
be in the majority nationwide and are heavily 
represented throughout the government.  He 
queried Sassou-Nguesso's intentions to have PCT party members 
posted as prefets in the Pool and Bouenza regions, backed-up 
by a heavily-armed military presence, when these individuals 
did not actually represent the will or the interests of the 
indigenous people.  Ideally, Ntumi believed that the nation 
should be ruled by a "unity government" through 2009 
reflecting no north/south biases and with no economic 
chokehold by any one individual, family or controlling group 
(note: a clear reference to the maze of businesses backed by 
President Sassou, his wife and children).  DCM mentioned the 
U.S. Ambassador's interest to promote an open solicitation 
for bids to rehabilitate the rail link between Pointe Noire 
and Brazzaville and to replace Congo's ageing fleet of 
locomotives -- an initiative wholly endorsed by Ntumi which 
he said would provide both employment and commercial 
opportunities for residents in the Pool, especially 
disenfranchised youth. 
 
¶9.  (C)  Ntumi opined that African leaders did not have a 
track record for good governance or transparency, and tended 
to remain in office well beyond their legal mandates.  He 
stated that, if Sassou-Nguesso did not handle the legislative 
elections properly, there would be no other option for him 
but to resign his office, as few would have confidence that 
the 2009 campaign would be managed in a transparent, 
democratic fashion. (Note:  This viewpoint tracks with many 
other opposition figures in Brazzaville who have approached 
the embassy in recent weeks to call for either a boycott of 
the elections or for Sassou-Nguesso's resignation.  Although 
none predict unrest during the summer legislative elections, 
many believe that it will be a watershed event to determine 
if Sassou-Nguesso and the PCT have taken democratic reform 
and international pressure to heart.)  DCM noted that the 
U.S. Embassy and other partners had hoped to receive 
sponsorship to plan a Sarkozy/Royal-style campaign debate, 
monitored by IFES / National Democratic Institute, prior to the 
anticipated second round of elections on July 22. 
Ntumi warmly embraced the concept as a healthy step for 
democracy in the Congo, and although not committing to a 
personal appearance, noted that the CNR would be well represented. 
 
¶10.  (C)  On June 11, the Ambassadors' Roundtable met at the 
Apostolic Nunciature in Brazzaville to review the past week's 
events prior to the late evening departure of Bishop Portella 
for a three-week conference in Rome.  For those not present 
at the June 7-8 ceremonies, Portella offered detailed 
commentary of the last-minute, behind-the-scenes negotiations 
(protocol, security and logistics) which took place to secure 
final agreement by the Prime Minister and Pasteur Ntumi to 
participate in the Kinkala events.  During the open 
discussion which ensued, the EU and French ambassadors and 
the Papal Nuncio downplayed the significance of Ntumi and the 
CNR as major players in the current political chessgame 
within the Congo, or even as a credible challenge to 
Sassou-Nguesso's authority.  The South African DCM, Italian 
and Belgium ambassadors were not convinced that Ntumi could 
be written-off so easily, given his remarkably cogent 
assessment of  the political situation in Brazzaville after 
his years of self-imposed isolation and absence of personal 
engagement with the international and diplomatic communities 
 
since 1997. Ironically, it now appeared as though a dividing 
line had been drawn between the roundtable participants as 
to whether Frederic Bintsamou or Denis Sassou-Nguesso had a 
better, more realistic grasp of reality and a true sense of 
the will of the Congolese people. 
 
MEECE