Cablegate: Another High Profile Killing in North Kivu

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PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKI #0782 1911414
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101414Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6480
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000782

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KPKO CG
SUBJECT: ANOTHER HIGH PROFILE KILLING IN NORTH KIVU

REF: KINSHASA 764

1. (SBU) Floribert Bwana Chuy bin Kositi, North Kivu
provincial secretary of the RCD-G party, was found murdered
July 9 in Goma outside the grounds of a hotel owned by a
prominent Tutsi businessman. This is the province's second
high-profile murder case in the last week, following that of
Kambale Kisoni, who was killed in Butembo July 5 (reftel). A
MONUC-Goma political officer told us Chuy, a section chief in
the Congolese Office of Control (OCC), disappeared on
Saturday. His body, which showed signs of strangulation, was
found 300-400 meters from the entrance of Goma's Hotel
Karibu. The owner, Victor Ngezayo, told us the body was
discovered by a passing motorbike driver around noon.

2. (SBU) Chuy's position at OCC involved monitoring the
quality of imported food. Ngezayo told us Congolese and
resident foreign importers often buy expired foodstuffs on
the international market for pennies on the dollar and resell
them in Goma. Ngezayo hypothesized that Chuy's killing was
related to his job. Just prior to his death, Chuy had
ordered the destruction of 80 tons of imported rice which he
had determined was unfit for human consumption. The MONUC
political officer said it was premature to draw any
conclusions, but allowed that Chuy may have made enemies in
his work.

3. (SBU) According to MONUC, Chuy was very active
politically during the elections as a member of the RCD. He
had, however, recently been living in Kinshasa and had not
been particularly involved in politics.

4. (SBU) Comment: While the motivation of his killers
remains unknown, news reports calling him "a former Congolese
rebel leader" are inaccurate. Chuy was in fact barely 30
years old and a minor provincial politician. End comment.
MEECE

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