VZCZCXRO5341
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHKI #0632/01 1831655
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 021655Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9851
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 000632 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS KPKO CG
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT PRESIDES OVER NATIONAL DAY FESTIVITIES IN GOMA 
WITH THEME THE EAST IS RETURNING TO NORMAL 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  President Kabila presided over well-executed and 
lavish Independence Day ceremonies in Goma on June 30.  Charge and 
Goma emboff attended ceremonies on behalf of the USG.  Observers 
were impressed by a parade of smart-stepping soldiers, well-equipped 
police, and a wide array of civic organizations, involving an 
estimated 5,000 participants and including representatives of the 
CNDP, until recently a rebel fighting force.  The cost of the event, 
including cash payments to all troops, transporting thousands of 
persons from Kinshasa, as well as new uniforms and boots for all 
security personnel, could be as high as $1 million.  Many projects 
to upgrade Goma's infrastructure remain unfinished, but the city and 
security forces demonstrated an unsuspected capacity for discipline 
on June 30.  Curiously, the president was received with tepid 
applause and did not speak.  The governor of North Kivu, who did 
speak, emphasized his firm allegiance to the president and his 
policies.  Kabila, who was scheduled to attend the opening of an 
agricultural fair in Goma after the parade, did not make that event. 
 The point of holding the national day event in Goma was to show the 
country and the world that war-torn eastern Congo is back in 
business.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On the eve of Congolese independence, few observers 
expected the June 30 Independence Day celebrations in Goma to go 
smoothly.  The town had been a dusty construction site for weeks in 
preparation for President Kabila's arrival on June 30, but many 
projects were still unfinished.  Potholes were dug out, but never 
filled in, advancing Goma's reputation for the worst roads in the 
world.  Some buildings and curbs received only a partial coat of 
paint.  MONUC sources reported growing complaints from local 
authorities as they struggled to meet deadlines.  New sodium 
streetlights were installed, but remained unlit.  But on June 29th 
the lights went on in Goma. 
 
Uncanny organization in Goma 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) But not only were the lights switched on, the June 30 
ceremonies went off without a hitch.  Kabila kicked off the 
celebration with a stroll down the central parade route, Goma's 
widest boulevard, receiving polite but tepid applause.  Immediately 
following the president's inspection of the troops, North Kivu 
governor Julien Paluku Kahongya read a short (by Congolese 
standards) speech, calling on all Congolese to avoid a 
"somaliazation" of the country and welcoming recent developments 
furthering the peace process, including the joint Rwandan-Congolese 
military operation against the FDLR.  Paluku, whose political future 
as governor is in doubt, due in part to the rapprochement between 
the DRC and Rwanda, clearly wished to portray himself as the 
president's ally, naming Kabila an "honorary citizen of North Kivu." 
 In a departure from previous Congolese National Day ceremonies, 
Kabila did not speak nor did he mingle with the crowds, a trademark 
of Joseph-Desire Mobutu's long tenure as head of state. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Against all expectations, a tightly-packed program came 
off almost flawlessly, as the two and a half hour parade started 
late but finished on schedule, demonstrating Goma's previously 
unknown capacity for organization.  Military troops, usually known 
for their unruly indiscipline, marched past the presidential podium 
in crisp formation with full regalia.  Six T-55 tanks and polished 
personnel carriers were followed by a pair of howitzers and a pair 
of mobile rocket launchers.  All units were represented, from the 
Presidential Guard, the infantry, Military Police, navy, coast guard 
with inflatable speedboats in tow, air force, K-9 units and several 
women's units (which drew the only cheer from the crowd).  Two 
military bands with new-looking instruments alternated to provide a 
musical backdrop for the entire parade, while the DRC's top military 
brass and government officials observed from the front row.  (Note: 
Former CNDP chief of staff Bosco Ntaganda was not seen.  End note.) 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The police provided one of the more impressive displays. 
Hundreds of officers representing SWAT units, crowd control units, 
canine units, chemical response units, quick reaction forces, and 
regular police high-stepped past the president in full gear that 
looked as if it had never been used.  Off the parade pitch, security 
was also impressive, with no-nonsense republican guard troops 
augmenting regular police in crisp new uniforms and metal detectors. 
 (Note:  Sources in Kinshasa told us that all military and police 
participants in the parade were paid last week, ending months of 
arrears in receiving salary payments and guaranteeing loyalty during 
the president's visit.  Troops and police were also issued new 
uniforms and boots.  Together with the transportation costs in 
moving thousands of persons from Kinshasa to Goma for this event, 
some observers believe the Government spent $1 million or more to 
hold National Day festivities in Goma.  End note.) 
 
 
KINSHASA 00000632  002 OF 002 
 
 
Everyone is represented 
----------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Almost every important social organization in Goma came 
out in brightly-colored dresses and suits.  There were no floats, 
but all groups proudly carried large banners announcing their 
organization, many expressing support for the president.  Women's 
groups, cultural dancers, local businesses, labor unions, 
professional associations (including bakers carrying loaves of 
bread) and other civic organizations were followed by Mai Mai 
groups, organizations of handicapped persons, gymnasts, 
rastafarians, veiled Muslim women, and a range of political parties, 
including the recently-demobilized CNDP.  Even Goma's unique 
Tchukudou corps (porters who use a unique slanted two-wheel vehicle) 
turned out on six freshly painted wooden bicycles.  A regatta of 
several new John Deere Tractors brought up the rear, ushering in the 
presentation of military honors to the president. 
 
On to the fair 
-------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The VIPs and hundreds of onlookers quickly decamped to the 
Agricultural Fair, some 45 minutes drive from central Goma, where 
Kabila was scheduled (but did not show up) to cut the ribbon to 
formally open the exhibition.  VIPs were quickly fed (although most 
tables did not have cutlery or glasses), and ambassadors then 
shuttled back to the airport to catch the MONUC-provided flights 
before darkness.  Local residents continued to pour into the 
fairgrounds, where they were treated to an impressive show by 
Congolese musical stars Papa Wemba and Adolf.  Farmers showed off 
their prize livestock and several well-constructed halls were filled 
with information booths and exhibitions.  The MONUC booth, where a 
senior political advisor answered questions about MONUC's mission, 
was especially popular.  Wrapping up the day's events:  an 
impressive fireworks display, the first that many local residents 
had ever seen.  A similar display in the city itself caused a brief 
panic.  More accustomed to the sound of guns than fireworks, many 
Goma residents initially thought shooting had erupted in town. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Comment:  National Day 2009 was tailor-made for political 
rhetoric.  Goma is booming, with huge houses going up on every 
vacant lot.  In short, there is a return to some degree of normalcy 
in Goma, the real message Kabila and his government wanted to send. 
The event was also significant for what it said about what the DRC 
can do:  discipline and civic pride are possible in the Congo, 
provided money and motivation are present.  But many who witnessed 
the military display were left wondering why a fine looking army 
doesn't fight, and why well-equipped police can't stop prison breaks 
and rampant rape.  The answer, of course, is that the troops on 
display were select units, not the recently-integrated brigades 
responsible for so many crimes during deployment.  In the end, while 
Goma booms, other parts of North and South Kivu remain mired in a 
low-level conflict and Operation Kimia II has been lackluster at 
best.  The war in the east is not really over.  End comment. 
 
BROCK