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O 221452Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0714
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000224 
 
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: 02/21/2017 
TAGS: PGOV ASEC CASC ELAB PINS AEMR GV
SUBJECT: TFGV01: SITREP 48: GUINEA UNREST, FEB. 22, 2007, 
1500 GMT 
 
REF: CONAKRY 215 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: PolOff Jessica Davis Ba, Reason 1.4 (b,d) 
 
 
----------------------- 
Situation on the Ground 
----------------------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Conakry remains calm, with no security incidents 
reported.  Deployment of security forces remains at a reduced 
level compared to last week.  Pedestrian and vehicular 
traffic is again at moderate levels.  Some small shops are 
open while the larger food markets continue to do so through 
the back door.  The informal market activity necessary to 
support the day-to-day living of most Guineans remains the 
only economic activity. 
 
---------------- 
Political Update 
---------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) On February 21, Prime Minister Eugene Camara presided 
over a day-long meeting of the Council for National Defense, 
a periodic group representing various ministries, generally 
called together in time of crisis.  The Council reportedly 
decided to extend the state of siege for 12 additional days. 
During this period, security forces would make door-to-door 
searches for stolen property and individuals associated with 
looting and property destruction. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) National radio announced evening of February 21 
that the National Assembly would convene on February 23 in 
accordance with Article 74 of the constitution related to the 
state of siege.  (Note:  The constitution stipulates that a 
state of siege expires after the twelfth day, February 23 in 
this case, unless the National Assembly authorizes its 
extension for some period).  Most Guineans believe that the 
state of siege will be extended with little debate and 
without forceful opposition. 
 
¶4.  (C) The Ambassador met with Chief of Staff of the Armed 
Forces General Kerfalla Camara this morning (reported 
septel).  The purpose of the meeting was to deliver similar 
points made last week with the Prime Minister and other 
senior government officials about the need to address 
leadership problem head on. 
 
¶5.  (C) Civil society contacts confirm that under the state 
of siege, Guineans have been using prayer time at the mosques 
to organize, particularly on Fridays.  They cautioned us that 
if the government extends the state of siege (which they 
expected it would), February 23 could be explosive.  "There 
will be no turning back," they concluded. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) ECOWAS Executive Secretary Chambas and former 
Nigerian President Babangida have returned to Conakry. 
 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Taibou Diallo, a member of the union coalition 
executive committee, reported that discussions February 21 
between the unions, the patronat, religious leaders, military 
representatives, and presidents of the National Assembly, 
Supreme Court, and Economic and Social Council, were direct 
but surprisingly cordial.  When National Assembly President 
Sompare again urged the unions to accept Eugene Camara as the 
Prime Minister, union leaders responded that they could not 
do so, demanding a new prime minister.  Camara does not fit 
the characteristics agreed upon in the January 27 Memorandum 
of Understanding. 
 
¶8.  (C) The unions urged religious leaders to make public 
that they had relayed to Conte the demand for a new PM and to 
tell the population how the Head of State replied.  Feeling 
extreme pressure from the grassroots, union leaders want to 
be sure that the population at large knows the unions 
continue to call for a new PM as their number one demand. 
Union leaders have doubted in private that 
inter-denominational interlocutors are faithfully relaying 
their messages.  The Patronat reportedly sided with the 
unions in a demand for a new PM. 
 
¶9.  (C) Representatives of the military were present at the 
meeting, as they have been since the declaration of the state 
of siege but said nothing apart from anodyne introductory 
remarks.  The meeting closed with Ibrahima Fofana, USTG 
 
CONAKRY 00000224  002 OF 002 
 
 
General Secretary, stating that Guinea's trade unions would 
agree to suspend the general strike at the same time the 
government lifted the state of siege and agreed to appoint a 
new prime minister.  The government interlocutors reportedly 
replied that they will take this proposition to Conte and 
call another meeting as soon as they have an answer. 
 
¶10.  (C) Leaders of Conte's dominant PUP party are also 
planning to make a strong demarche requesting the Head of 
State to appoint a new PM.  Sekou Konate, General Secretary 
of the PUP, told FSN PolAsst that he and Aliou Banire Diallo, 
President of the PUP parliamentary group, would lead a 
delegation to convince Conte to honor the demands of the 
general population, the majority of whom he claimed as PUP 
supporters.  Konate said that Eugene Camara has been rejected 
by the people and does not even enjoy the support of his 
native Forest Region.  If Conte continues to back Camara, the 
already fragile PUP will lose its support base, they said. 
Conte's own political party is now making the same demarche 
as the unions -- both institutions speaking, from different 
angles, on behalf of the majority of Guineans. 
 
¶11.  (C) According to unconfirmed reports, a new government, 
under the direction of Prime Minister Eugene Camara, has been 
formed but not announced.  It is not a government of broad, 
national consensus.  If these reports are true, the people 
will certainly reject the new government just as they 
rejected PM Camara. 
 
------------------ 
Mission Operations 
------------------ 
 
¶12.  (SBU) The Mission continues relatively normal 
operations.  The majority of staff is at work.  Some staff 
members have commented on the uncertainty going into the 
weekend, and have made preparations in case they are unable 
to come in next week.  Emergency Action Committee will meet 
February 23 to assess potential weekend developments and our 
preparations. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Consular Section reports a slightly higher level 
of American citizen visits and calls from yesterday.  Most 
service requests are for passport renewals and information 
about evacuation, travel, and other options. 
MCDONALD