VZCZCXRO9457
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHKI #1049/01 3301619
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 251619Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8827
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001049 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS PHUM PREF KPKO CG
SUBJECT:   BEHIND THE LINES: A VISIT TO NKUNDA LAND 
 
REF:        KINSHASA 1038 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary: CNDP Chairman Laurent Nkunda held his first 
public rally in the recently captured town of Rutshuru on November 
¶22.  Goma Poloff made the 80-kilometer drive from Goma with a MONUC 
escort, observing few signs of combat and generally relaxed 
residents along the crowded corridor.  Nkunda criticized MONUC and 
promised the audience that services and security would improve under 
a CNDP administration.  Nkunda displayed considerable political and 
PR skills.  He appears to be settling in for a long stay in the 
district capital.  End summary. 
 
Where is the war? 
----------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) FARDC and rebel CNDP front lines remain static only 10 
kilometers outside of Goma.  There is no great distinction between 
the opposing lines -- the FARDC troops wear green fatigues, while 
most CNDP troops wear camouflage.  A village just behind the CNDP 
"border" is abandoned, but there is little evidence of conflict. 
Embassy's Goma officer and TDY A/RSO crossed deep into CNDP 
territory on November 22 to attend a speech in Rutshuru by CNDP 
"Chairman" Laurent Nkunda, accompanied by EU facilitator and a 
two-vehicle MONOC escort. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) A large IDP camp on the outskirts of Goma has swelled with 
new arrivals since the conflict began.  Many IDPs have returned 
home, however, as the CNDP dismantles IDP camps in its territory and 
assures residents that they have nothing to fear from rebel forces. 
Trucks laden with produce, charcoal and passengers pass casually 
through the lines without harassment.  Poloff encountered two FARDC 
roadblocks just outside Goma, but only one roadblock along the 
two-hour journey through CNDP territory. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Villages along the route appeared full, and residents were 
working their fields, going to busy markets, and moving freely along 
the road.  Emboff saw many young men, evidence that CNDP are 
probably not forcibly recruiting among the local towns.  CNDP 
soldiers are present in most villages along the road, but their 
numbers were small - only one or two visible troops in most 
villages.  Most towns along this crowded corridor boast a 
development project of some kind, and NGOs continue to operate in 
CNDP territory.  Life goes on much as it did before the CNDP 
occupation in this intensively cultivated strip of North Kivu. 
 
MONUC:  business as usual 
------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Emboffs were escorted to Rutshuru by two MONUC vehicles, 
but two dozen international press made the trip without any visible 
security.  The route includes separate MONUC jurisdictions, and 
emboffs' convoy was handed off between three separate MONUC escorts 
at 25-kilometer intervals.  MONUC continues to operate a base of 
several hundred Indian peacekeepers in Rutshuru, apparently accepted 
by CNDP troops.  The local MONUC commander, who hosted Poloff, EU 
rep and TDY A/RSO for lunch after attending Nkunda's speech, said 
his troops had been "pelted" with rocks on several occasions, both 
in Rutshuru and other towns along the route.  He downplayed any 
threat to MONUC's operations by the public, stating that local 
residents did not understand the MONUC mandate, and sometimes 
demanded a more aggressive military response and/or protection. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The MONUC commander boasted that his blue-turbaned Sikh 
troops were "the best soldiers in the world," while stressing that 
his Chapter 7 mandate did not include assaults on rebel forces 
unless they threatened the local population or MONUC.  Although new 
to the Rutshuru command, he said MONUC operations have not changed 
much since the CNDP occupied Rutshuru and environs in early 
November.  Mai Mai militias remained active some 10-15 kilometers 
north of Rutshuru, and MONUC troops have come under fire from Mai 
Mai on a couple of occasions.  The CNDP troops have taken over all 
security tasks in Rutshuru.  Those on display in Rutshuru appeared 
to be disciplined and relaxed, but this is not always the case.  The 
major said MONUC continues to play in important role as a 
"deterrent" to combatant atrocities.  "They know we are watching 
them." 
 
¶6.  (SBU) An IDP camp has sprung up on the fringe of the Rutshuru 
MONUC base, and residents are serviced by WFP and other humanitarian 
NGOs.  The major said many IDPs are content to remain in the camp 
because they receive food and shelter.  He doubted that local IDPs 
were primarily motivated by insecurity, although some came from 
areas further north where conflict continues. Commenting on the calm 
situation and general lack of tension in Rutshuru, he said residents 
were pragmatic, switching loyalties to the CNDP, but without any 
deeper ideological or ethnic motivation.  The major said "whole 
 
KINSHASA 00001049  002 OF 002 
 
 
brigades" of FARDC troops had also gone over to the CNDP in 
newly-occupied rebel territories, along with local police and most 
low-level administrators.  (Comment:  this level of troop defection 
is unconfirmed and is likely exaggerated.  End comment.) 
 
The Chairman speaks 
------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Nkunda kept the crowd of about 2,000 waiting for two hours 
before his speech on November 22.  In the interim, an MC kept up a 
steady patter of pro-CNDP comments, and a local hip hop trio 
entertained the crowd with a rap extolling the CNDP's virtues.  CNDP 
security checked bags at the stadium gate, while a dozen armed 
troops patrolled the 800-meter perimeter.  Arriving in a late model 
Toyota Land Cruiser(reg. NK 6451 BB), Nkunda was greeted by pygmy 
dancers and a young girls' dance troupe, prompting him to descend 
from the dais in the stadium stands and join in the dancing.  A 
local brass band played religious songs - "Onward Christian 
Soldiers" seemed to be a particular favorite.  Some two dozen 
international and local press swarmed around the "Chairman" on 
arrival, and Nkunda clearly relished the attention.  Notably, Nkunda 
was dressed in U.S. Army Advanced Combat fatigues (which are not 
commercially available).  The crowd gave Nkunda a rather tepid 
welcome, but their attendance appeared to be voluntary.  A local 
contact told emboff he was "told" to attend, but he was not forced 
or threatened.  Local residents, including many from nearby 
villages, clapped spontaneously at several points in the speech, but 
the response was more polite than enthusiastic. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Speaking without notes for some 40 minutes, Nkunda 
delivered an effective public outreach speech, stressing that he 
represented all Congolese, and not just the Tutsi.  He switched 
fluently between Kiswahili, Kinyarwandan, Kinande, Kihunde and 
French to emphasize the local nature of his rebellion, urging the 
populace not to fear his soldiers.  Nkunda criticized the planned 
deployment of 3,000 more UN troops, saying they would not bring 
peace and were unnecessary if the Congo people stood together. 
Nkunda did not repeat his threat to march on Kinshasa to overturn 
the government of Joseph Kabila, but stated that if the FARDC 
invades his territory, "we will destroy them." 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Nkunda introduced 10 CNDP military commanders and 10 new 
administrators to replace those who fled when the CNDP took over the 
district administrative center.   He noted that some Congolese had 
feared he would import officials from Rwanda, stressing that his new 
team was drawn from the local community and well known in Rutshuru. 
Nkunda repeatedly stated that his movement was multi-ethnic, and did 
not depend on Rwanda for support.  A local police force of 20 
saluted the CNDP leader, and local contacts assured Poloff that the 
force was comprised of the same police who had served the government 
in Rutshuru.  Nkunda said services would improve under his 
administration.  He showed off a young thief who had been caught 
looting, and a Mai Mai militia soldier of about 13 or 14.   "We do 
not fight children," he stated, urging someone from the youth's 
village to come forward and escort him back to his parents.  He also 
brought a few FARDC soldiers onto the dais to demonstrate that the 
CNDP does not kill prisoners of war. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Comment:  Nkunda appears to be putting down roots in 
Rutshuru.  Recruiting local administrators, winning the allegiance 
of the local police, and assuring the population that the CNDP will 
protect them indicate plans to stay in the area.  Declaring loyalty 
to the CNDP is an act of survival for most residents, but those who 
actively support Nkunda would be at risk if the area falls to the 
government.  The 80 kilometer road from Goma to Rutshuru is only a 
small slice of CNDP territory, and not necessarily representative of 
their presence elsewhere.  In the nearby town of Kiwanja, for 
example, over 20 persons believed to be civilians were killed 
earlier in November, almost certainly by troops loyal to Nkunda and 
his deputy, Jean Bosco.  Some press reports highlight intimidated 
Rutshuru residents' hesitation to criticize the CNDP leader. 
Nevertheless, even the local MONUC Commander told Poloff after the 
speech that Nkunda did not appear as bad as he is depicted.  The 
CNDP Chairman has better public relations skills than the GDRC, and 
his performance in Rutshuru on November 22 showed off his political 
abilities and ambitions.  End comment. 
 
GARVELINK