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RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHKI #1110/01 3550633
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R 210633Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0464
INFO RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0016
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 001110 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SOCI CG
SUBJECT:   RELIGIOUS KILLINGS IN BUKAVU CREATE MARTYRS -- 
           AND RUMORS OF POSSIBLE POLITICAL UNDERTONES 
 
KINSHASA 00001110  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Bukavu, dubbed the murder capital of the DRC, has been 
the site of targeted attacks against journalists, human rights 
defenders and religious authorities.  A priest and a nun were 
assassinated within days of each other in early December provoking 
fear and outrage amongst the predominantly-Catholic population. 
Calling for justice, religious and political leaders reacted swiftly 
and strongly against the attacks.  Possible motives for the killings 
include attempts to destabilize the region or political retaliation 
for support of Kimia II and the current government.  End summary. 
 
Bukavu:  Murder capital of the Congo 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  South Kivu provincial capital Bukavu has another "capital" 
distinction:  it is considered the murder capital of the Congo and 
for many years has been the scene of violence targeting journalists, 
human rights defenders, and religious authorities.  Since 2007, 
three journalists have been killed and scores of others have been 
threatened in Bukavu, known as Costermansville during the Belgian 
colonial period.  Bukavu, a picturesque mountain city situated on 
the southern shores of Lake Kivu, was a major administrative center 
until the greater Kivus province was divided into three provinces in 
¶1988.  Goma, on the north shore of Lake Kivu, became the capital of 
the province of North Kivu and has since eclipsed its sister city to 
the south.   Many former Peace Corps volunteers know Bukavu well as 
the site of a major PC training center. 
 
 
¶3.  The latest crime wave sweeping the Bukavu area is cause for 
grave concern.  In recent months there has been an upsurge in 
attacks against Catholic Church facilities in South Kivu, 
particularly in the area between Bukavu and Bunyakiri.  This 
development has not gone unnoticed by the local press with several 
media outlets reporting on the recent murders of a Catholic priest 
and two nuns.  The news has also been picked up in other parts of 
the DRC.  "L'Avenir," a Kinshasa newspaper, opined recently that 
religious figures have become the new targets of violence. 
 
Priest and nun assassinated 
--------------------------- 
 
¶4.  During the night of December 5-6, armed bandits in Kabare killed 
Father Daniel Cizimya, a Catholic priest.  Two other priests managed 
to escape.  Local police arrested three suspects and, during their 
transfer from Kabare to Bukavu, a mob formed demanding justice.  A 
faction of FARDC in Kabare fired on the mob killing one person and 
injuring five in an attempt to restore calm.  Due to the insecurity 
caused by the killing and the subsequent local reaction, the 
possibility of closing the parish was discussed.  In the meantime, 
local officials closed public schools for three days to demonstrate 
their support for the church and express anger at the killing. 
 
¶5.  On Monday, December 7, just two days after Father Cizimya was 
killed, Sister Denise Kahambu was shot dead.  Another nun, Sister 
Cecile, was seriously injured during the evening attack by armed men 
at the Notre Dame de la Clarte Monastery in Murhesa, a town 30 
kilometers northwest of Bukavu.  The armed attackers did not steal 
anything.  Unconfirmed reports state that the armed men asked for 
the priest and, when told he was not there, they shot the nuns. 
 
Church and state reactions to the violence 
QChurch and state reactions to the violence 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶6.  Laurent Monsengwo, Archbishop of Kinshasa, condemned the 
assassinations, adding that Catholic leaders in the Eastern DRC are 
targeted in order to undermine the church's mission of peace and 
reconciliation.  He urged the GDRC and MONUC to take "effective 
measures to stop the current escalation of violence."  Father Jean 
Bosco Bahala, a Catholic priest involved in peace negotiations and 
mediation in North and South Kivu, also called for government 
protection, stating that the Catholic Church in Bukavu is a strong 
symbol of peace and help for those who have been victims of war. 
 
¶7.  The government's response has been swift and high level.  In the 
moments immediately after the nun's death, the vice-governor and 
police commander appeared on the scene.  President Kabila visited 
the site of the nun's death while in Bukavu for a Council of 
Ministers meeting on December 13.  Vital Kamerhe, a National 
Assembly deputy from Bukavu, expressed his condolences to the 
community of Kabare after the killing of Father Daniel.  On December 
9, South Kivu Governor Louis Leonce Muderwa stated that "evil 
forces" want South Kivu to become ungovernable. He believes that 
the killings are an attempt to destabilize South Kivu by attacking 
the Catholic Church.  Approximately 80% of the population in Bukavu 
is Catholic and these incidents could incite the believers to 
 
KINSHASA 00001110  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
further violence creating instability.  That same day, DRC Interior 
Minister Celestin Mbuyu led a delegation of ministers to Murhesa 
monastery to visit the nun's grave.  Earlier the provincial security 
council met at the governor's residence to discuss the situation 
with an additional security council meeting held on December 10. 
According to Jean Claude Kibala, vice-governor of South Kivu, the 
government has launched an investigation into the killings. 
 
A melange of explanations 
------------------------- 
 
¶8.  As with similar incidents in the DRC, several theories have 
circulated regarding these assassinations.  Based on the history of 
intimidation and extermination of journalists, some believe that the 
killings follow in that same vein.  These are not the first 
incidences of specific targets against religious authorities. 
Bishop Christophe Munzihirwa was killed in 1996 and Bishop Emmanuel 
Kataliko was killed in 2000.  A second theory revolves around armed 
militias in South Kivu.  The killings pinpoint influential religious 
leaders and institutions in the rural areas.  This may be one method 
to scare church leaders out of the villages and into the cities, 
providing free reign for these groups to loot and pillage. 
 
¶9.  In each of the attacks there is a lack of additional criminal 
activity beyond the murders themselves.  There have been no reports 
of theft or looting associated with these attacks.  According to an 
anonymous statement by a Radio Okapi journalist residing in Bukavu, 
"many people in Bukavu think that the perpetrators of recent 
killings of Catholic Church members want Bukavu Bishop Maroy to stop 
his support for President Kabila." 
 
 
¶10.  Some observers believe political agendas might also be at the 
root of this trend.  Bureau chiefs at Radio Maria, a Catholic 
Church-run station in Bukavu, speculate the murders were aimed at 
Radio Maria, which has been critical of the Kimia II operations. 
These attacks could also be an attempt by the Mundundu 40, a group 
of Mai Mai found near Bukavu, to revive itself as a CNDP partner 
during Kimia II operations. 
 
¶11.  Comment:  We are unable to confirm -- or dismiss -- any of 
these theories.  In the shady, uncontrolled, rebel-ridden 
environment of South Kivu, motives can be intentionally ambiguous. 
It is telling, however, that theft and looting do not appear to be 
linked with the killings, pointing to the possibility of political 
motives.  End comment. 
 
GARVELINK