VZCZCXRO0402
OO RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHBZ #0329/01 3211451
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O P 171451Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRAZZAVILLE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1612
INFO RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA PRIORITY 0541
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 0064
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0023
RUEHLC/AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE 0060
RUEHGI/AMEMBASSY BANGUI 0037
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 0067
RUEHLU/AMEMBASSY LUANDA 0029
RHMFISS/AFRICOM
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0502
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0054
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 0045
RUEHBZ/AMEMBASSY BRAZZAVILLE 2023

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BRAZZAVILLE 000329 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C LISA KORTE 
DEPT FOR AF/C CHRIS LAMORA 
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI FOR USAID EAST AFRICA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CF CG EAID PREF PREL PHUM
SUBJECT: UPDATE-OVER 20,000 DISPLACED BY VIOLENCE IN DRC INTO 
CONGO-B 
 
REF: (A) BRAZZAVILLE 318, (B) KINSHASA 997 
 
BRAZZAVILL 00000329  001.2 OF 005 
 
 
1.(U)SUMMARY: Over 20,000 people have been displaced from the 
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into the Republic of Congo 
(ROC) since outbreak of violence in Dongo, DRC on 29 October 
¶2009. Over the last two weeks, the displaced have set up camps 
along the west (ROC) bank of the Ubangui River. Although the 
flow of displaced persons across the Ubangui has slowed 
significantly, the situation remains an emerging humanitarian 
crisis. The lack of shelter, potable water, sanitation, food, 
and health care in the camps has already led to deaths among the 
displaced. Evidence on the ground suggests that a rapid 
repatriation to the DRC is improbable and the conditions in the 
camps will likely become worse before they get better. The GROC 
and UN institutions in the ROC are coordinating the response to 
this crisis and have already delivered some supplies to the 
displaced. The UN and GROC, however, have yet to agree on a 
clear plan for the next steps and may lack the resources 
necessary to effectively dispatch enough humanitarian supplies 
to meet the growing needs of the displaced in this remote 
region. END SUMMARY. 
 
---------- 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
2.(U) Since October, some 20,000 citizens of the DRC have 
crossed the Ubangui River into the ROC. Driven from their homes 
in the DRC by ethnic violence (REFTELS) in the Dongo region of 
the Equator Province, the majority of the displaced are now 
spread among more than 20 villages along the 160 km stretch of 
the Ubangui between the towns of Impfondo and Betou. Since the 
last report (REFTEL A), the official number of displaced persons 
has grown by more than 8,000 in less than one week. According to 
the ROC regional government responsible for collecting data on 
new arrivals, there were 24,194 displaced persons in the 
Likouala Department as of November 11. 
 
3.(U) This rapid growth in the number of displaced persons does 
not stem from a spike in movement across the river. Rather, it 
reflects a more complete count of the massive wave of migration 
into the ROC in the wake of violence in the DRC. UNHCR reports 
that in fact there have been three recent waves of movement into 
the ROC. The first group of some 1,000 displaced persons arrived 
in the ROC following the first clashes between the Enyele at 
Manzaya groups in May 2009. A second massive wave came across 
during the buildup and eventual outbreak of violence in Dongo 
between October 20 and October 29. Finally, a third wave came 
across the river as the Enyele militia moved south to Imesse 
(DRC) between October 30 and November 6. 
 
4.(U) Since the first week of November, there have been no new 
major movements into the ROC. The official number of displaced 
persons, however, continues to rise. While some of this growth 
is due to more accurate reporting of displaced persons now that 
resources have been deployed to register arrivals, the UNHCR 
fears there also is a certain amount of over-reporting. Some 
people have moved from one village to another and have been 
counted in both locations. The displaced persons committees in 
charge of registration may also be inflating the numbers of 
persons in each camp in the hope of securing more aid for their 
group. Finally, there have also been at least two examples of 
ROC nationals who have tried to get their names on the displaced 
person's list in the hopes of securing free handouts for their 
families. Despite these inaccuracies, UNHCR reports with 
confidence that there are at least 20,000 displaced persons now 
in ROC. 
 
----------------------- 
CONDITIONS IN THE CAMPS 
----------------------- 
 
5.(U) From November 11-13 EmbOff participated in a joint UN/GROC 
fact finding mission dispatched to assess conditions in the 
displaced persons' camps along the Ubangui in the Likouala 
Department. Conditions in the camps depend on the setting. In 
 
BRAZZAVILL 00000329  002.2 OF 005 
 
 
general, the camps can be divided into two categories: (1) small 
cities, and (2) river villages.  The camps visited and the total 
number of displaced in each camp as of 11 November is as follows: 
 
(1) Small Cities: 
Dongou - 2,450 
Betou - 6,008 
 
(2) River Villages: 
Eboko - 3,377 
Landza - 1,655 
Afrique du Sud - 600 
Mankolo - 500 
 
6.(U) The conditions in the small cities are generally better 
than those in the river villages. Although the recent arrivals 
have caused populations to swell by 30-50%, most of the 
displaced in Dongou and Betou have found rudimentary shelter in 
existing buildings such as schools, churches, factories, and 
government buildings.  The small cities also have medical 
facilities that can treat all but the most seriously injured 
patients. The situation, however, remains precarious and will 
quickly degenerate without continued assistance. In Betou, for 
example, 2,900 displaced persons are living in a dilapidated 
match factory that shut down some 10 years ago. One third of the 
roof has completely collapsed and the rest is falling down. 
There are two latrines and one source of clean water for nearly 
3,000 people. Medcins d'Afrique (MDA) reports that between 1-7 
November, 122 cases of malaria, 25 cases of severe diarrhea 
occurred at the match stick factory. 
 
7.(U) In the river villages, the number of displaced far 
outnumbers the local population. In Mankolo there are two ROC 
nationals and approximately 500 displaced persons. These smaller 
villages have few facilities suitable to shelter displaced 
persons and most have taken to building rudimentary shelters to 
protect themselves from the elements. Some of the displaced have 
made shelters of sticks and palm leaves. Others have simply been 
rolling themselves up in tarps distributed by UNHCR.  Neither 
one of these forms of shelter offer much protection from the 
persistent downpours in the region. In the river villages, there 
are generally no latrines and no sources of potable water. Most 
of the displaced relieve themselves in the surrounding bush and 
drink from the river. Access to medical care is also limited. 
Since October 29, six infants have died in Eboko due to diarrhea 
despite the fact that there is a mobile clinic set up in the 
village. Lanza has a clinic building, but it has not yet been 
stocked or staffed. 
 
8.(U) In both the river the river villages and the small cities, 
food is becoming scarce. Most of the displaced have been in the 
ROC for almost two weeks and even those who had time to pack 
supplies before they fled the DRC are running out of food.  To 
make matters worse, most of the food consumed in the region was 
produced in the DRC by the very people who have now fled into 
the ROC. In the small cities, the displaced complete with the 
local population for an ever smaller amount of food. As a result 
of the increased demand and diminished supply, the prices of 
staples such as manioc have increased by 30% in the last two 
weeks. The local population also reports increased numbers of 
crops being stolen in the fields since the displaced arrived. 
 
9.(U) Security is also a problem common to both the camps in the 
river villages and the small cities. In many of the camps, 
members of ethnic/linguistic groups that fought one another in 
the DRC have been intermixed in the same camps. To date, the 
ethnic violence in the DRC has not crossed the river, but should 
conditions grow worse, groups that currently live together 
peacefully could be driven to violence. More alarming is the 
cross border movement of militiamen. The displaced in the 
locations called Lanza and Afrique du Sud both report that 
militiamen continue to cross from DRC into their isolated river 
villages. Armed with spears and knives, the militiamen have 
crossed to purchase supplies in the local markets. To date, 
there have been no instances of violence, but the displaced fear 
 
BRAZZAVILL 00000329  003.2 OF 005 
 
 
that the militiamen could attack them and have requested that 
their camps be staffed with military personnel to protect the 
displaced from their enemies in the DRC. The GROC has repeatedly 
promised to provide security, but to date no military personnel 
have arrived. 
 
------------------------ 
UN/GROC RESPONSE TO DATE 
------------------------ 
 
10.(U) At the time of the assessment visit, the UN/GROC response 
to the crisis was limited to the emergency relief supplies that 
could be quickly mobilized. Despite media reports of 15,000 tons 
of supplies, as of 17 November the GROC has only delivered a 
total of 597 kilograms of supplies to Likouala. UNHCR has also 
made an initial distribution of non-food items including: tarps, 
pots and pans, water cans, blankets and mosquito nets. In the 
small cities, many of the displaced persons had UNHCR non-food 
items. However, some of the displaced have not put the goods 
they have received to use. While making rounds with the UNHCR 
representative in Betou, EmbOff observed numerous families that 
had unopened mosquito nets and brand new pots and pans hidden 
away in their belongings. In the river villages, families appear 
to have received tarps and blankets during the initial 
distributions made by UNHCR. Families that arrived to the river 
villages after the initial UNHCR distribution, however, have not 
received any additional supplies. 
 
11.(U) According to the UNHCR representative in Impfondo, the UN 
response is currently focused on meeting the immediate needs of 
the population. To date, everyone is careful to use the term 
"displaced" instead of "refugee." Until the GROC decides to 
declare the displaced population as refugees, the UN will not 
make any investment in consolidating the scattered camps into 
larger camps, setting up a more elaborate registration system, 
or launching a food aid campaign. The GROC continues to work on 
a short-term emergency response plan and does not appear willing 
to discuss anything beyond emergency measures to meet the 
immediate needs of the displaced population. 
 
------- 
OUTLOOK 
------- 
 
12.(U) The UN team has drafted a report containing the findings 
of the assessment visit, but the document will not be released 
for distribution until the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs 
approves it. This document will outline the key needs of the 
population in terms of security, water/sanitation, health, and 
food and should guide a more targeted and better coordinated 
response to this crisis. Meeting with the displaced in Betou, 
the GROC Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Emilienne Raoul, 
promised that the ROC would "share what little it had." Through 
today, the GROC has made many promises, but failed to provide 
any significant aid. 
 
13.(U) The biggest challenge faced by both the GROC and the UN 
will be to deliver goods to those most in need. Most food and 
non-food items are stocked in warehouses in the port of 
Pointe-Noire or in Brazzaville. However, 90% of the displaced 
population lives in river villages only accessible by water. 
Unfortunately, the Ubangui is only navigable until December.  As 
the tropical dry season settles in north of the Equator, the 
river drops to a level that prevents barges from reaching 
Impfondo, Betou, or the villages in between until the rains 
return around March/April. Members of the assessment team 
discussed the possibility of setting up an airlift to move major 
stockpiles into the region, but the GROC is unlikely to provide 
the logistical support necessary for this type of operation. 
According to the GROC representative, the transport costs 
already incurred by the initial relief operations were too high 
to discuss publicly. Apparently, the GROC had to make a special 
request to the IMF to be allowed to even make their initial 
expenditures to support the displaced. 
 
 
BRAZZAVILL 00000329  004.2 OF 005 
 
 
14.(U) The isolation of the Likouala Department where the 
displaced have taken up residence is magnified by the lack of 
infrastructure in place. There are no paved roads connecting 
either Impfondo or Betou with Brazzaville. Both towns are now 
cut off as the rainy season has made the dirt roads effectively 
impassable. Impfondo also lacks a regular supply of gasoline and 
diesel. The UNHCR buys its gas in bulk and barges in a private 
stockpile for their operations. According to American citizens 
resident in Impfondo, the one gas station in town has gas for 
about ten days every year. Impfondo has a new power generation 
station built in 2005, but lacking an adequate supply of diesel, 
the city power only functions intermittently. All of these 
factors magnify the difficulty of running an effective relief 
operation out of Impfondo. 
 
15.(U)Both the UN and the GROC hope that the displaced will 
quickly return to the DRC. However, this scenario appears 
unlikely. GDRC forces control Dongo since 8 November, but the 
displaced have not yet returned home. According to the UNHCR 
Impfondo representative who visited Dongo on 16 November, bodies 
are still rotting in the streets. Many of the displaced have 
lost their homes, their belongings, and any ties to the DRC 
strong enough to pull them back across the Ubangui. Others 
witnessed crimes committed by the militiamen. Residents of Dongo 
described being systematically robbed by the militia as they 
fled from their homes. Women report being raped. In Lanza, the 
displaced walk past the fresh graves of three women and one man 
killed by the militiamen as they fled the DRC. In Afrique du 
Sud, armed militiamen continue to cross freely into the ROC. The 
displaced doubt that order will ever be restored in the DRC and 
say they hope to never return. 
 
16.(U) The current movement across the Ubangui is the latest in 
a string of incidents involving displaced persons. In 1997, the 
first group of displaced persons arrived in the wake of the 
ethnic violence in Rwanda. In 2002, 50,000 people fled DRC into 
the Likouala in the fallout surrounding Jean-Pierre Bemba. 
According to the UNHCR, 12,000 refugees already resided in the 
Likouala province before the most recent movement across the 
Ubangui began. In fact, many of the people who have come across 
the river recently are actually returning refugees that were 
repatriated to the DRC by the UNHCR less than two years ago. 
Some of the newly displaced told EmbOff that they had even 
returned to the same villages where they were previously 
residing. 
 
17.(U) From what we are hearing here -- and we emphasize that 
this is the Congo(B) perspective -- there is a widespread belief 
that on the DRC side of the river, prospects are not good for a 
speedy resolution to this latest conflict. According to reports 
received in Brazzaville, there are 30,000 internally displaced 
persons in the DRC who have fled the ethnic violence around 
Dongo to the interior of the country. UNHCR reports that GDRC 
forces have retaken Dongo, but have not demonstrated either the 
will or the capacity to bring security to the region. The 
witchdoctor com-General ODJANI (previously referred to as 
General Johnnie in REF A) and his militiamen continue to move 
freely in the area. In addition to the re-supply missions to the 
ROC, the UNHCR Impfondo representative reports that low level 
clashes between GDRC forces and the militia continue. 
Furthermore, rumors are swirling that ODJANI may even try a 
counterattack to retake Dongo. We stress that of course Embassy 
Kinshasa is also in close contact with the GDRC and UN in 
Kinshasa and may have more current or more accurate information 
on the situation in the DRC. 
 
¶18. (U) To date, Embassy Brazzaville has not received any formal 
request for U.S. government assistance from either the GROC or 
the UN. However, given the evolving and likely prolonged nature 
of this incident, Post expects that a request for assistance is 
inevitable. Throughout the assessment visit the UNHCR encouraged 
the displaced persons to take the initiative and help themselves 
rather than waiting for aid handouts. Citing an African proverb, 
the UNHCR representative urged people be to proactive and use 
resources they have already received, saying "if someone washes 
 
BRAZZAVILL 00000329  005.2 OF 005 
 
 
your back, you can wash your belly." In interactions with the UN 
and ROC representatives, EmbOff adopted this same attitude, 
encouraging them both to take advantage of the resources they 
have on hand before making any requests for additional 
assistance. 
 
¶19. (U) Post is in close and continuous contact with the UN and 
the GROC and will provide further updates as well as any 
specific requests for aid as they become available. 
EASTHAM