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DE RUEHRY #0184/01 0471143
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O 161143Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0661
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHFT/GOLFCO MSGBN AMCONGEN FRANKFURT GE IMMEDIATE
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000184 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR GUINEA TASK FORCE, AF/W, AF/EX, CA/OCS, DS/IP/AF 
PLEASE ALSO PASS TO AID/AFR, PEACE CORPS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2017 
TAGS: PGOV ASEC CASC ELAB PINS AEMR GV
SUBJECT: TFGV01: SITREP 43: GUINEA UNREST, FEB. 16, 2007, 
1200 GMT 
 
REF: CONAKRY 183 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: POLOFF JESSICA DAVIS BA, REASON 1.4 (b,d) 
 
----------------------- 
Situation on the Ground 
----------------------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  At present, Conakry is quiet.  There was increased 
pedestrian traffic this morning, despite its being during 
curfew hours.  There is no vehicular traffic.  As in past 
days, women are at stands selling small items but the shops 
and stores remain closed.  Over the last 24 hours, the 
security environment is more calm than it has been in 
previous days. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) There is a marked decrease in the presence of 
security forces, though the military continues patrols in 
certain areas.  There are also more checkpoints than 
previously, especially last night.  Military officers 
continue to man a checkpoint at Castro bridge, the chokepoint 
into downtown.  As we observed the afternoon of February 15, 
the military routinely searches vehicles and questions 
passengers, but they let most through to Kaloum.  The 
military allows diplomatic vehicles to pass without checking 
them. 
 
¶3.  (C) On February 15, between the hours of 1800 and 1900, 
when the curfew began and for several hours thereafter, 
military patrols went through various neighborhoods shooting 
in the air in an attempt to force people into their houses. 
There is less gunfire reported from all areas of the capital, 
but it remains sporadic.  We were told that to maintain 
order, senior officers have instructed the soldiers to return 
to beatings with their belts, instead of shooting their 
weapons. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) On this morning's national radio broadcast, Chief 
of Staff of the Armed Forces General Kerfalla Camara thanked 
the population for the return to quiet on the fourth day of 
Guinea's state of siege.  Camara stated that the military 
continues to fulfill its duty to reestablish public order and 
provide a secure environment.  The General regretted the 
behavior of certain officers who fired on people against 
orders.  Camara asked that all citizens who possess arms 
obtained during the looting of gendarme and police stations 
immediately return the weapons, or face justice, arguing that 
in this way, they will pay homage to the victims of the 
strike-related violence.  On the same broadcast, a military 
spokesman claimed that "bandits dressed as military officers" 
committed criminal and violent acts.  The spokesperson 
asserted that the population is "rejoicing in the military 
intervention" that has restored calm to their neighborhoods. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) On February 15, Prime Minister Eugene Camara met 
with Conakry's mayors, counselors, and neighborhood 
administrators.  He told them that the reason for the state 
of siege is the insecurity in their locales, and called on 
them to urge advocate behavior change by local residents. 
Camara focused on the vandalizing of police stations and said 
it is civic leaders' responsibility to identify the "bandits" 
who have weapons and work with security forces to bring them 
to justice. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The airport remains open with multiple 
international flights approved by General Kerfalla.  The port 
remains nominally open, with limited staffing. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) With some exceptions, the situation in the interior 
has also calmed in some areas.  In Labe, Kankan, and 
N'Zerekore, three of Guinea's regional centers, the security 
environment is quiet with significantly reduced gunfire.  In 
all of these cities, the military is fulfilling a police role 
as all civilian administrators and officers have fled or are 
otherwise hiding.  We understand, however, that Pita remains 
volatile; military forces refused to escort a gourp of French 
in that direction due to concerns over sparking protest 
locally. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The status of Guinea's borders remains dynamic. 
The President of the transporters union in N'Zerekore reports 
that no goods are going across the border there, but we 
understand that on theSierra Leonian border that is 
cross-border traffic on a local level. 
 
¶9.  (C) Our contact in Macenta told us the military arrested 
 
CONAKRY 00000184  002 OF 002 
 
 
thirty heavily armed men who they suspect are ex-combatants 
affiliated with ULIMO.  These men remain in military custody. 
 In the diamond mining town of Banankoro in Upper Guinea, 
protests on February 15 turned violent when demonstrators 
clashed with military officers.  Unconfirmed reports are that 
one person was killed and two persons severely injured. 
 
---------------- 
Political Update 
---------------- 
 
10  (C) Ambassador is meeting this morning  with National 
Assembly President Sompare, Supreme Court President Sidime 
and Economic and Social Council President Kamano. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) The presidents of Guinea's National Assembly, 
Supreme Court and Economic and Social Council met February 15 
with unions, Patronat, and religious leaders.  Serah Rabiatou 
Diallo, CNTG General Secretary, attended while Ibrahim 
Fofana, USTG General Secretary, did not, although he was 
represented.  Fofana said that his absence was not a 
reflection of the strength of the union coalition, but rather 
a sense of insecurity.  Union leaders in the interior told us 
they are adamantly opposed to the union leaders beginning any 
negotiations until Conte lifts the state of siege. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Mamadou Mansare, Executive Secretary of CNTG, told 
us the unions received instructions from the International 
Labor Organization to attend the meeting and to proceed with 
dialogue.  He said that it was at the urging of the embassy 
and the international institutions that they went.  However, 
he reported little substance in the discussions, calling it a 
renewal of contact.  Rabiatou Diallo requested that the 
government lift the state of siege and the military return to 
their barracks.  Only then, she said, could real negotiations 
begin.  The unions were asked to return February 17 at 0900; 
the military will provide badges to enable them to travel 
during the curfew period. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) On national radio, Michel Kamano, President of the 
Economic and Social Council, lauded the gathering as a "new, 
positive step toward calm and peace and the reconstruction of 
our state."  He said that it is important for negotiations to 
re-start so tat Guinea does not fall into the same pattern of 
conflict as its neighbors and other countries with 
significant mineral wealth.  Kamano and the presidents of the 
National Assembly and Supreme Court plan to meet with 
political party leaders and civil society representatives on 
February 16. 
 
¶14.  (C) Police did not arrest Fode Bangoura, former Minister 
of Presidential Affairs, as reported today on some websites. 
Bangoura told one of our interlocutors that on February 15 he 
responded to a summons from the gendarme headquarters. 
Officers questioned Bangoura and gendarmes took the former 
minister back to his residence and searched the house and 
property for the rest of the afternoon.  Bangoura said he did 
not know what they were looking for, but claimed they did not 
find anything.  He was asked to return to the gendarme 
station the morning of February 16 for additional 
questioning. 
 
------------------ 
Mission Operations 
------------------ 
 
¶15.  (SBU) All American staff are at work and the Mission is 
operational, albeit with limited staff.  We have brought in 
selected locally-engaged staff using Mission vehicles to 
perform essential functions. 
 
¶16.  (C) EAC met at 1130 to review developments. 
MCDONALD