VZCZCXRO0933
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHKI #1787/01 3311207
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 271207Z NOV 06 REXMITD DUE TO NUMEROUS SVCS
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5213
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001787
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV MOPS KPKO ASEC CG
SUBJECT: RENEGADE TROOPS FORCE DRC MILITARY TO ABANDON
POSITIONS IN NORTH KIVU FIGHTING
REF: KINSHASA 1260
KINSHASA 00001787 001.2 OF 002
1. (U) Summary. Weekend fighting in the eastern DRC between
forces loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda and
government troops have left at least four dead, 72 injured
and an undetermined number of internal refugees. Sporadic
clashes in the vicinity were reported November 27. UN
peacekeeping forces have deployed in a show of force to
discourage any potential advance toward the provincial
capital of Goma. DSRSG Haile Menkarios arrived in Goma the
morning of November 27 from Kinshasa to assess the situation.
End summary.
2. (U) Reports from MONUC and Congolese national army
(FARDC) sources indicate fighting broke out in North Kivu
during the early morning of November 25 when troops loyal to
renegade General Laurent Nkunda attacked positions of the
11th Integrated Brigade (IB) just outside the town of Sake,
some 15 miles to the northwest of Goma. Sake is located near
territory controlled by Nkunda and has been the focus of
several clashes between his forces and government troops in
the past (reftel). The attacking forces were from the 81st
and 83rd Bridgades, which have repeatedly refused orders to
integrate.
3. (SBU) The 11th IB attempted a counterattack November 26,
but were beaten back and abandoned the town and some of their
weapons. They established defensive positions in the area of
Kasingazi, three miles east of Sake, in coordination with
MONUC, and were later reinforced by elements of the 14th
Integrated Brigade. MONUC elements have remained in Sake.
4. (U) The fighting followed an incident at a police
roadblock on the evening of November 24 on the outskirts of
Sake which resulted in the killing of a man related to the
commander of the 81st Brigade's 813th Battalion. The victim,
a Tutsi named Musafari Mayogi, was shot and killed by a
police officer. Various reports claim Mayogi was armed, the
victim of an attempted shakedown, a gunrunner for Nkunda, the
son of a Tutsi chief or some combination of these.
5. (SBU) Elements of the FARDC 81st and 83rd Brigades
controlled by Nkunda occupied the area around Sake. Indian
peacekeepers of MONUC's North Kivu Brigade established
patrols in the town. They fired warning shots from attack
helicopters and returned fire when shot at on the ground.
6. (U) The area around Sake is densely populated, and some
of the civilian population has reportedly fled. UN officials
and NGOs are reviewing the humanitarian situation. The UN
has received reports of some 2000 refugees on the road from
Sake, and OCHA officials met yesterday with partner
organizations in Goma to discuss options for assisting them.
7. (SBU) Goma remains calm, although Governor Eugene
Serufuli told the Ambassador by phone November 27 he had
received reports of some fighting at some distance from Sake.
MONUC confirmed reports of skirmishes between the 83rd
Brigade and the FARDC 9th Integrated Brigade November 25-26
in the areas of Tongo and Nyanzale, further to the northwest
of Goma.
8. (U) Army chief of Staff General Gabriel Amisi flew to Goma
from Kinshasa November 26 for meetings with MONUC, Serufuli
and military officials, and was reported to have inspected
FARDC positions. DSRSG Haile Menkarios and Interior Minister
Denis Kalume traveled with a delegation to Goma from Kinshasa
November 27.
9. (U) Most of the casualties reported are government
troops: three dead and 53 injured. Per MONUC, reported
civilian casualties total one dead, 19 injured. No
information has been reported regarding losses among the
Nkunda forces.
10. (SBU) Comment. Troops on both sides in this fight are in
fact officially members of the FARDC. The 81st and 83rd
Brigades are units that have refused integration into the
post-conflict Congolese armed forces. The 81st received
orders last week to report to an integration center but
clearly have no immediate intention of doing so. MONUC Force
Commander General Babacar Gaye will brief CIAT members the
afternoon of November 27. A draft CIAT communiqu is being
prepared which calls on MONUC to take all necessary measures
per its Chapter VII mandate to protect the civilian
KINSHASA 00001787 002 OF 002
population of Goma, Sake and other localities facing armed
violence. End comment.
MEECE