VZCZCXRO2282
OO RUEHPA
DE RUEHFN #0091 0391848
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 081848Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY FREETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0760
INFO RUEHRY/AMEMBASSY CONAKRY PRIORITY 1453
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L FREETOWN 000091 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/EX 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2017 
TAGS: ELAB PGOV PREL GV SL
SUBJECT: MANU RIVER UNION SECRETARY GENERAL FEARS RETURN TO 
VIOLENCE IN GUINEA 
 
REF: A) CONAKRY 130 B) CONAKRY 143 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Thomas N. Hull for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) Meeting in his downtown Freetown office on February 
8, Manu River Union (MRU) Secretary General Aliou Diallo 
briefed the Ambassador and DCM on efforts to resuscitate the 
MRU, which will be reported septel. When the conversation 
turned to the crisis in Guinea, Diallo, who returned February 
6 from Conakry, told the Ambassador that he believed that 
there would be a resurgence in violence if Guinean President 
Conte fails to appoint a prime minister by February 12, the 
deadline set by Guinea's CNTG-USTG union coalition. (Reftels 
A and B) Diallo, who is Guinean, said that Guineans are "fed 
up" and "are not afraid anymore" to call publicly for Conte's 
resignation. He added that the situation could lead to 
bloodshed if Conte ignores the unions' demands, depending on 
how the army reacts. 
 
¶2.  (C) Diallo said that the USG has considerable influence 
with Conte and should use it. He added that every person on 
the street in Guinea knows this. The Ambassador responded 
that a message has been delivered, but we are not sure if it 
has been absorbed. Diallo reiterated that there is great 
respect for the U.S. in Guinea, and that Guineans do not want 
to see a succession crisis similar to the one that occurred 
in Togo in 2005. 
 
¶3. (C) Diallo said that if President Conte does appoint a 
prime minister, that he will not do it willingly. He said 
that President Conte's deteriorating health had compounded 
the situation, and that the President's "mental ability to 
rationalize is gone." He explained that he felt that 
President Conte existed in another world and never would have 
expected that a young woman would lead the unions and stand 
up to him. He did compliment President Conte's wife Henrietta 
on the positive role she has played behind the scenes, but 
said that two of his other wives (he has four total) have not 
been at all helpful. 
 
¶4.  (C) Diallo, who said that he has never met Conte, told 
the Ambassador that he had discussed the crisis with Guinean 
government officials. He explained that as Secretary General 
for the MRU, he could not publicly comment on the issue 
because he had not received Conte's blessing for the position 
and is viewed as being Sierra Leonean President Kabbah's man. 
Like President Kabbah, Diallo has a professional UNDP 
background. 
 
¶5.  (C) Commenting on Guinea's recent announcement to ban all 
exports, he said that the Government felt that it was 
necessary to reign in increasing prices, although Government 
officials were fully aware that this decision would 
ultimately cause larger problems. He said that Government was 
exercising a rationale that what we are doing is good for the 
country and that problems that arise from this decision are 
not the issue today. He added that the entire system is 
corrupt, and that Guineans need a new government with a 
different profile and different experiences. 
 
¶6.  (C) COMMENT: Diallo's public silence on the matter is 
probably more symptomatic of the MRU's limited regional 
influence. But his leadership is a vast improvement over his 
predecessor, and he appears to be making great strides to 
revamp the MRU and put it back on solid financial ground 
using his experience and contacts from when he worked for the 
UNDP. He told the Ambassador that some of his family members 
were victims in the violence that ensued during the general 
strike and are still in the hospital recovering.  END 
COMMENT. 
HULL