VZCZCXRO8884
PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHLU #0368/01 1291903
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081903Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY LUANDA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4777
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LUANDA 000368 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL AO
SUBJECT: ENGAGING ANGOLA TO GET SERIOUS ON PROTECTING HUMAN 
RIGHTS 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: During the Ambassador's May 7 call on 
Minister of the Interior, General Roberto Leal Monteiro 
"Ngongo," the Minister acknowledged Angola's human rights 
challenges and the need for the GRA to tell more effectively 
how it intends to tackle these problems.  He accepted that 
the impending closure of the U.N. Human Rights Office made 
this necessity even more urgent.  Specifically, Mozena urged 
that the GRA release publicly its promised investigation of 
human rights abuses against illegal Congolese immigrants (as 
reported by Medecins Sans Frontieres(MSF)) and on 
politically-motivated killings of expatriates in Cabinda. 
Ngongo was not forthcoming on either.  Ngongo welcomed the 
Ambassador's invitation for the Ministry to send an observer 
to the monthly meetings of Luanda's Overseas Security 
Advisory Council (OSAC).  End Summary. 
 
------------------------- 
Our Pitch on Human Rights 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) During his May 7 call on Minister Ngongo, Ambassador 
Mozena said it was in the GRA's interest to engage domestic 
audiences and the international community more vigorously to 
acknowledge Angola's human rights problems and to describe 
steps Angola has taken and intends to take to protect human 
rights and investigate alleged abuses.  Mozena said the 
Ministry should not be afraid to speak openly with NGOs, 
including those the GRA may not especially like, and that it 
should increase public engagement through the press.  Ngongo 
acknowledged Angola's many human rights challenges and agreed 
that the absence of information concerning Angolan actions to 
protect human rights allows critics to shape the dialogue 
with negative impressions that may not tell the whole story. 
The Ambassador extended an invitation to the Minister to 
provide input to the annual human rights report, which offers 
an objective analysis of the human rights situation.  He 
added it was especially important for Angola to engage 
publicly on these issues, given the government's recent 
decision to close the UN Human Rights Office in Angola.  At 
the Minister's suggestion, we will pursue our human rights 
agenda with the Vice Minister for the Protection of Human 
Rights. 
 
-------------------------- 
Invitation to Observe OSAC 
-------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Ambassador extended an invitation to Ngongo to 
send a representative of his Ministry, which bears primary 
responsibility for public security, to the monthly meetings 
of Luanda's Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). 
Ngongo accepted the offer and said he would appoint a liaison 
soon after receiving an official invitation.  Ngongo added 
that the opportunity to participate as an observer in OSAC 
would help the Ministry better understand and address the 
security concerns of U.S. companies. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
Ngongo Offers No Rebuttal to MSF Report 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Ambassador raised U.S. concerns that the 
promised GRA investigation into alleged human rights 
violations against illegal Congolese immigrants outlined in 
the December 2007 Medecins Sans Frontieres report had not 
been released.  Ngongo did not confirm that an investigation 
had been conducted or whether the results would ever be 
released.  He did explain the difficulties Angola faces in 
controlling its porous border along the DRC against economic 
migrants drawn to the alluvial diamond mines.  He said the 
events discussed in the MSF report involved the repatriation 
of over 40,000 Congolese, some of whom resisted deportation. 
Ngongo said it was understandable that the police would 
respond to resistance with some force.  Despite the 
Ambassador's repeated queries, Ngongo did not address the 
atrocities mentioned in the report, and he blamed the illegal 
immigration problem on organized rings of immigrant 
smugglers.  Ngongo suggested that some critics of the 
deportations included members of the DRC government involved 
in the trafficking of workers to take advantage of the 
unregulated alluvial diamond mines in Angola. 
 
------------------- 
Violence in Cabinda 
------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Ngongo said he is the GRA's designated liaison with 
Cabinda.  He told the Ambassador he knows the region well, 
especially since his mother is from Cabinda.  Ngongo said he 
is aware that pockets of instability exist in Cabinda and 
that he understands the concerns of businesses based there. 
 
LUANDA 00000368  002 OF 002 
 
 
He firmly declared that the armed conflict in Cabinda ended 
with the 2006 Memorandum of Understanding and that the 
current violence was most likely caused by well- funded 
individual actors who organized groups of criminals to carry 
out mischief.  He said some of the criminals were likely 
former members of disbanded Cabinda-based guerrilla groups. 
Ngongo did not say how the organizers funded their 
operations, or what they hoped to gain from the violence 
other than to embarrass the government or influence in some 
way upcoming elections.  Concerning the December 2007 death 
of the Brazilian working for a U.S. company, Ngongo said the 
trial for five criminals responsible for the attack had begun 
on May 6.  It appeared, he told the Ambassador, that the ring 
leader was an Angolan journalist who had arranged the theft 
of military arms from a local depot.  Ngongo went out of his 
way to stress that the suspect was an Angolan first and a 
journalist second.  He did not want to leave the impression 
with the Ambassador that the police routinely arrested 
journalists without cause.  He did not respond to the 
Ambassador's query as to when the government's promised 
investigation into the Brazilian's murder in Cabinda would be 
released. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
Ngongo: Angolans Were Raised in a Culture of Violence 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Throughout his discussion with the Ambassador, 
Ngongo stressed that successive generations of Angolans have 
grown up in a culture of violence.  Beginning with slavery 
and the oppression of colonization, Ngongo said the struggle 
for liberation and then Angola's terrible civil war created a 
social dynamic based on conflict and violence.  Ngongo told 
the Ambassador this culture of violence affects how people, 
including the police, handle conflict.  He added that he 
understands that adjustments are needed, and he is working to 
train the police force on the importance of protecting human 
rights.  Ngongo said it will take time to change the mindset 
of the Angolan people and to create a culture of peace. 
Ngongo asked for patience from the international community as 
Angola makes this transition. 
 
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Comment 
------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) The meeting with Ngongo was frank, substantive, and 
collegial, in spite of the difficult (from the Angolan 
perspective) issues covered.  We hope the Ministry will send 
an observer to participate in the monthly OSAC meetings, 
which will further strengthen that body.  The Minister's 
comments concerning the repatriation of illegal Congolese 
immigrants and Cabinda were less encouraging.  We will 
continue to engage the Ministry, with the aim that they will 
come to see that it is to the GRA's advantage to discuss 
openly and frankly Angola's human rights and security 
challenges and what its government intends to do to overcome 
these problems. 
MOZENA