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PP RUEHGI RUEHRN
DE RUEHLGB #0775/01 3271053
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231053Z NOV 09 ZDK CTG RUEHCB 6812 3320405
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6436
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUZEFAA/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP 0104
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0309

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KIGALI 000775 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ECON ETRD EAID MARR CG BU RW
SUBJECT: CEPGL STAFF DESCRIBE REGIONAL GROUPINGS TO SPECIAL 
ADVISOR WOLPE 
 
KIGALI 00000775  001.4 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Economic Community of Great Lakes 
Countries (CEPGL) senior staff on November 10 briefed U.S. 
Great Lakes Special Advisor Dr. Howard Wolpe on CEPGL 
activities in the areas of peace and security, energy, and 
transportation, as well as on how the CEPGL coordinates with 
other regional groupings-something done through regular 
meetings, under the auspices of the UN Economic Commission 
for Africa.  Since the CEPGL resumed operations in 2007 
(after a 14-year hiatus), the EU has been the primary 
external donor, providing 5m euros so far to the CEPGL's 
operating budget.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SA Wolpe and Ambassador met on November 10 in 
Gisenyi with CEPGL executive secretary-general Amb. Gabriel 
Toyi (a Burundian) and deputy secretaries-general Liliane 
Gashumba (a Rwandan) and Alphonse Ntumba Luaba (a Congolese). 
 DOS officer Adam Keith and polcouns also attended.  The tone 
of the meeting was cordial. 
 
Regional Organizations 
---------------------- 
¶3. (SBU) Toyi noted that countries in the region belonged to 
a wide range of groupings, such as CEPGL, SADC, EAC, COMESA, 
CEEAC, and the Nile Basin Initiative, but explained that each 
organization had its own complementary missions, and that 
member countries held coordination meetings on a regular 
basis.  The UN Economic Commission for Africa, which has a 
regional office in Kigali headed by a Mozambican, has 
convened such meetings on a twice-yearly basis since 2007. 
All the aforementioned organizations took part, except SADC. 
The most recent meeting was in April 2009, in the Seychelles; 
 the next will take place November 30-December 2 in Kigali. 
 
4.(SBU) CEPGL:  According to Toyi, Rwanda, Burundi and the 
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) created the CEPGL in 
¶1976.  It became defunct in 1993 due to wars in the region, 
but the three countries revived  the organization in 2007. 
The CEPGL, headquartered in Gisenyi, focuses on five areas of 
activity: 1) peace, security, democracy and good governance; 
2) agriculture and food security; 3) energy, infrastructure 
and communications; 4) education and research; and 5) public 
and private investments.  Toyi understands Uganda may want to 
join, added that the CEPGL both allows and would welcome 
this, but noted that Uganda has not formally applied.  "We 
think it would be a good idea," he continued, if even 
Tanzania or Zambia were to join. (Note: During his visit to 
Uganda, Special advisor Wolpe asked the Ugandan officials if 
they desired entry into CEPGL.  They indicated they did not 
and, in any event, had not been invited.  End Note.) 
 
¶5. (SBU) COMESA:  The Common Market for Eastern and Southern 
Africa (COMESA), formed in 1994 and headquartered in Lusaka, 
started as a preferential-trade zone.  Now, Toyi said, it 
addressed issues such as customs and non-tariff barriers 
among its approximately 20 members, and had begun to move 
into other areas such as infrastructure.  Its main focus, 
however, remains commerce. 
 
¶6. (SBU) EAC:  The East African Community (EAC), Toyi 
explained, was different because its goal is to form a 
supranational political union, with a single market and free 
movement of goods, services and people.  He stressed that 
member states are serious about achieving political union. 
There is an ongoing public education campaign about the EAC, 
to which the public has responded favorably;  the EAC has a 
Qto which the public has responded favorably;  the EAC has a 
functioning legislative assembly and a court system at 
Arusha;  the EAC also has a sizeable administration also at 
Arusha that convenes monthly meetings;  and each member state 
has its own EAC Affairs minister. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Nile Basin Initiative:  This organization focuses on 
energy (especially hydro power and transmission lines), 
agriculture and environment, and water management.  A 
Congolese citizen heads the organization, whose headquarters 
are in Entebbe. 
 
¶8. (SBU) CEEAC:  Like the CEPGL, the Economic Community of 
Central African States (CEEAC) was concerned with peace and 
security, agriculture, and infrastructure, as well as trade 
and development.  CEEAC members include the DRC, Burundi, 
CAR, Gabon, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, and Chad; Rwanda 
left the organization in 2007.  The CEEAC is headquartered at 
Libreville. 
 
¶9. (SBU) At the twice-yearly coordination meetings, the 
 
KIGALI 00000775  002.4 OF 003 
 
 
different groups compare and coordinate planned activities, 
in order to avoid duplication and decide which organization 
is best suited to take the lead  on a given project.  For 
example, because the CEPGL, CEEAC, EAC and Nile Basin 
Initiative were all involved in planning the interconnection 
of power transmission lines, members decided to assign that 
responsibility to the Nile Basin Initiative.  "The key point 
for donors," Toyi said, "is that it is not bad to have many 
different organizations, pursuing different but coordinated 
activities" to help the region develop. 
 
CEPGL Activities and Issues 
--------------------------- 
¶10. (SBU) According to Toyi, the EU is the CEPGL's main 
donor, having in 2007 signed an agreement to provide 50m 
euros, 5m of which have been disbursed so far.  The Belgians 
promised 3m euros a year starting in 2010, but have not yet 
disbursed any, and France promised 500,000 euros by the end 
of 2009 to pay for institutional support and technical 
assistance (NFI).  The CEPGL met with DFID, but the UK has 
not provided or promised any funding.  When asked about the 
CEPGL's operating budget, Toyi said it was 1.5m euros during 
the previous budget year (NFI), but would rise to 4m euros 
for the next year-the difference due in part to the fact that 
Congolese colleagues had only recently rejoined the 
organization.  The CEPGL's budget was likely to increase in 
future years, due to the number of anticipated projects. 
 
¶11. (SBU) In the area of peace and security, the CEPGL helped 
facilitate communication among its members.  CEPGL defense 
ministers and military chiefs met in Goma in July 2009, Toyi 
noted, and military intelligence chiefs decided they should 
meet every six months.  Ntumba Luaba reiterated this point, 
adding that members were planning to hold the next meeting of 
defense ministers and military chiefs in Kigali, before 
year's end.  Experts from the three countries were discussing 
a mutual defense pact, he added, and provincial governors 
(NFI) met recently in Bukavu to discuss joint border 
patrols--an activity that might benefit from USG support.  In 
addition, Toyi noted that the three countries planned to hold 
a meeting within a few weeks to exchange lessons learned on 
demobilization of ex-combatants. 
 
¶12. (SBU) According to Toyi, CEPGL countries also agreed to 
open their borders to each others' citizens, 24 hours a day. 
Already, 8000 people cross the Goma/Gisenyi border daily. 
The checkpoint there closes at midnight and reopens at 
6:00a.m., but it will "soon" move to 24 hours operations, he 
said.  Instability and insecurity in the DRC would not affect 
this, because such problems were "far from the border."  Toyi 
added that the CEPGL also planned to organize in December or 
January a meeting on border demarcation, to address 
unresolved issues along the Burundi-Rwanda border, the 
Burundi-DRC border, and the Rwanda-DRC border near 
Goma/Gisenyi. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Energy remained a main focus of the CEPGL, 
especially two planned hydroelectric projects on the Rusizi 
River, known as Rusizi III and IV.  The EU in 2007 provided 
2.8m euros to pay for feasibility studies, which a German 
firm is due to complete in the next three months.  The total 
construction cost for the two plants is estimated at $800m. 
Another project under study by a Rwandan-Congolese pilot 
QAnother project under study by a Rwandan-Congolese pilot 
committee was the planned joint Rwandan-Congolese 
exploitation of methane gas in Lake Kivu, which would provide 
over 200MW of electricity to the CEPGL power grid. The 
Government of the DRC, said Ntumba Luaba, viewed Rwanda's 
existing methane gas pilot project as a "positive 
experience."  (Note:  Both the proposed joint project and 
Rwanda's own pilot project are separate from a larger project 
currently under construction in Rwanda by U.S. private firm 
Contour Global.  End Note.)  Declaring that "energy is a huge 
need in all three countries," Toyi said CEPGL member 
countries planned to ask for donor support to help finance 
such projects. 
 
¶14. (SBU) Regarding transportation infrastructure, Toyi said 
CEPGL members were considering several bridge projects 
linking their three countries, as well as a road from Gisenyi 
to the port of Goma (the EU is funding this study) and a road 
along the route Bujumbura-Cyangugu-Gisenyi-Goma (study 
completed and paid for by African Development Bank, or AfDB). 
 This last link would cost an estimated $350m, with $100m 
promised so far by the AfDB.  As for railroad tracks, Toyi 
said the CEPGL planned to focus on extending a future line 
 
KIGALI 00000775  003.4 OF 003 
 
 
from Kigali to Gisenyi, Goma, and Kisangani, adding that the 
EAC was addressing the more easterly connection to Kigali. 
(Note:  Neither Rwanda nor Burundi is linked by rail.  End 
Note.) 
 
¶15. (SBU) Finally, another prospective project is the revival 
of  the CEPGL's development bank, which was due to officially 
reopen in late November but needed recapitalization because 
of non-performing loans mostly made in the DRC.  Toyi said 
the he expected capital would come from Belgium, the AfDB, 
and the three member countries, and the CEPGL hoped that the 
USG, Sweden and Germany would in the future provide funds as 
well. 
 
¶16. (SBU) Responding to Dr. Wolpe's question about why the 
DRC had been slow to rejoin the CEPGL, Ntumba Luaba explained 
that Congolese living outside the Kivus did not see any 
benefit in it.  The Congolese government was now supportive, 
but more needed to be done to promote the CEPGL among 
Congolese in the rest of the country.  "People think events 
in eastern Congo caused western Congo to suffer," he said. 
To address this, the CEPGL was notionally planning student 
and teacher exchanges between the three countries-university 
rectors had already met recently.  Also, drawing on the 
Franco-German experience, it might be worthwhile to set up a 
volunteer corps of youths from the Great Lakes countries, to 
create joint teams that could work together for a year or two 
"to help rebuild what we destroyed together" and improve 
mutual understanding. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶17. (SBU) CEPGL leaders are eager for USG support or 
assistance;  post will continue to engage with them and work 
to identify possible discrete areas--beyond simply providing 
funds--where we can make a difference.  Absent from the 
CEPGL's discourse was any mention of the private sector 
funding or public-private partnerships; we will continue to 
nudge their thinking in this direction as well.  End Comment. 
 
¶18. (SBU) Dr. Wolpe cleared this cable before transmission. 
SYMINGTON