Viewing cable 09KAMPALA679, UGANDA/DRC: OPERATION RUDIA II UPDATE (JUNE 29,

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FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
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INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KAMPALA 000679 

NOFORN 
SIPDIS 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/19 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM MOPS MARR UG CG SU
SUBJECT: UGANDA/DRC: OPERATION RUDIA II UPDATE (JUNE 29, 
2009) 

REF: KAMPALA 595 

Classified By: P/E Chief Kathleen FitzGibbon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d 
). 

¶1. (SBU) Summary: This cable is a periodic update on the 
regional military operation against the Lord's Resistance 
Army (LRA) known as Operation Rudia II. This report is not 
meant to provide an overarching narrative or polished 
analysis of the operation, but rather offers spot information 
gleaned in Uganda only, from credible U.S. Mission sources 
here. We recognize the regional scope of the operation and 
the fact that our sources may be limited in their knowledge 
and perspective on Rudia II. End Summary. 

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MILITARY UPDATE 
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¶2. (S NF) Military operations against the Lord's Resistance 
Army (LRA) continue to make progress. Between June 15 and 
29, the Ugandan Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) killed four and 
captured six LRA fighters and rescued 26 abductees. (Note: 
Other information sources suggest the numbers of LRA killed 
and captured may be higher. End Note.) Ugandan Defense 
Minister Crispus Kiyonga estimates that 50% of the LRA's 
senior leadership and 25% of its fighting force have been 
killed during the military operations. Kiyonga puts the 
number of remaining LRA fighters at 300. The U.N. Mission in 
Congo (MONUC) provides similar figures, estimating that the 
LRA's fighting force currently numbers 300-400 and its 
abductees number 600-1,000. (Note: We believe MONUC's 
numbers of abductees in captivity is high. End Note.) 
Recent reports show that LRA leader Joseph Kony is moving 
toward Bokoya, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in line 
with earlier reports that LRA leadership was believed to be 
moving west towards the Central African Republic (CAR) 
border. Meanwhile, his deputy, Okot Odhiambo, continues to 
make moves to divert attention away from Kony's group. MONUC 
also reports an emerging trend among Congolese youth 
imitating LRA tactics and generating false reports of "LRA 
activities" and attacks on civilians. 

¶3. (C) Ambassador Browning attended a "Friends of MONUC" 
meeting on June 22. MONUC briefed the group on the Chiefs of 
Defense Forces (CHOD) meeting in Kisangani. The CHODs from 
DRC, Uganda, and CAR agreed that military operations are 
putting pressure on the LRA and should continue. MONUC 
discussed its ability to provide logistical support to CAR 
and/or Uganda should its area of operations expand, but says 
it would need a new mandate from the U.N. Security Council to 
do so. Notably, MONUC did not mention the possibility of 
expanding operations into southern Sudan. (Note: Our sources 
speculate that this is because the LRA does not seem to be 
moving towards southern Sudan. End Note.) The meeting's 
participants noted that there also seems to be confusion 
regarding recent rumors of LRA activity in southern Sudan and 
possible Khartoum support for these activities spurred by 
comments from a southern Sudanese politician from Western 
Equatoria Province that appeared in the Ugandan press. The 
group recognized that these rumors are unconfirmed and 
cautioned operators in the region to exercise restraint in 
perpetuating such rumors. 

- - - - - - - - - - - 
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT 
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¶4. (C) The Government of Uganda formally charged MEGA FM 
journalist Patrick Otim and eleven others with treason for 
their association with the Peoples Patriotic Front, a nascent 
rebel group in northern Uganda (ref A). The Government has 
not and does not intend to make any further arrests, despite 
the fears of opposition politicians that they will be 
implicated and detained for political purposes. 

¶5. (S NF) UPDF Spokesman Felix Kulayigye told P/E Chief on 
June 25 that Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga may be making 
common cause with the Acholi opposition in Uganda and 
diaspora elements in Nairobi to advocate on behalf of LRA 
leader Joseph Kony. Odinga reportedly has written a letter 
to U.S. President Barack Obama requesting that the U.S. stop 
its operations against the LRA. Odinga, an ethnic Luo, 
reportedly is attempting to unite the Luo-speaking 
communities of western Kenya, southern Sudan, and northern 
Uganda. (Note: The Acholi people in northern Uganda are Luo 
speakers. The majority of elected parliamentarians in the 
Acholi sub-region are members of the opposition. End Note.) 
Kulayigye said the Government suspects Odinga of supporting 

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the Ugandan opposition because President Museveni supported 
Kenyan President Kibaki during the Kenyan elections. Ugandan 
Government sources allege that Odinga met with Government of 
Southern Sudan President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek 
Machar with a similar request. (Note: We do not know how 
Kiir responded. End Note.) 

¶6. (SBU) U.N. Special Envoy for LRA-Affected Areas Joachim 
Chissano's contract ends on June 30. He postponed his final 
report to the U.N. Security Council until July 15. LRA chief 
negotiator David Matsanga grabbed the opportunity to claim in 
the press that he persuaded Chissano to delay the report. 
Matsanga's claims are "a lie," according to Nuno Tomas, the 
head of Chissano's office in Kampala. Chissano had other 
commitments in Madagascar and could not travel to New York 
until mid-July. 

¶7. (U) In a significant diplomatic development, the newly 
accredited Congolese Ambassador, Charles Okoto Lola Kombe, 
arrived in Kampala on June 24, 2009. Kombe's arrival 
upgrades DRC's representation to the ambassadorial level and 
is the culmination of three year's of regional diplomatic 
efforts through the Tripartite Plus process and bilateral 
discussions between the two countries to normalize relations. 
The move is expected to strengthen Ugandan-Congolese 
cooperation. Kampala has nominated and is awaiting approval 
for its new ambassador to Kinshasa. 

- - - - - - - - - - - 
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION 
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¶8. (S NF) The World Food Program (WFP) is now coordinating 
its food drops in LRA areas with MONUC and UPDF forces from 
Dungu, according to MONUC sources. 
BROWNING