VZCZCXRO9954
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHRY #0097/01 0361430
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051430Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2141
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEABND/DEA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
PROG

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CONAKRY 000097 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC GV
SUBJECT: GUINEA/SIERRA LEONE BORDER VISIT ILLUSTRATES DAILY 
SECURITY CHALLENGES 
 
REF: CONAKRY 0090 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  Recent Embassy trips to Guinea's border 
with Sierra Leone, both in the south and in the north, 
demonstrate just how porous Guinea,s borders are.  On 
Guinea's southern border, using little more than handwritten 
ledgers to track people, Guinean border officials could not 
provide figures as to the number of people crossing the 
border every day.  Despite calls for increased vigilance by 
the local senior government official, border authorities 
appeared ill equipped to effectively address basic 
immigration issues, let alone the daily challenges of drugs 
or trafficking in persons.  At an isolated outpost on 
Guinea's northern border, Guinean soldiers enforce their 
illegal claim to a slice of Sierra Leone.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) On January 30, a team of four Embassy officials, 
including Poloff and Deputy RSO, traveled three hours from 
the capital to the border town of Pamelap.  The route serves 
as the primary entry point into Sierra Leone from the 
southern part of Guinea.  The Embassy delegation was 
accompanied by Mme Marie Guilavogui, the prefect of 
Forecariah, and by the local police commissioner. 
 
----------------------------- 
JUST A FEW MORE KILOMETERS... 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The town of Pamelap is located within the 
prefecture of Forecariah, which according to the prefect, 
includes more than ten different border crossing points, a 
number of which are simple footpaths.  Although the border is 
just a few kilometers from the prefectoral seat, it took 
nearly an hour to get there, which included more than 30 
minutes over a very bumpy dirt road.  The town itself is in 
poor condition, worse off than many of Guinea,s 
underdeveloped villages.  The prefect explained that 
significant fighting took place in the town during the war in 
Sierra Leone, which was precipitated by rebel forces spilling 
over into Guinea.  She pointed out numerous buildings that 
had been destroyed or stood in ruins, as well as several 
shallow craters reportedly caused by grenades.  The prefect 
noted that several years later, the town has not recovered 
from the violence and destruction. 
 
--------------- 
TOLERANCE ZERO! 
--------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Upon arrival in the center of Pamelap, the Embassy 
delegation was received by a large gathering of local 
villagers.  The prefect used the opportunity to deliver a 
well-honed message advocating for increased vigilance on 
Guinea,s borders.  A strong proponent of anti-trafficking 
measures (reftel), the prefect told the gathered crowd that 
they were the first line of defense in preventing child 
trafficking.  She noted that their vigilance had resulted in 
several arrests and encouraged them to continue with their 
efforts.  At one point, she had them chant repeatedly (in 
reference to child trafficking)  tolerance ) zero!, 
Poloff also made a brief speech applauding the prefecture,s 
efforts and affirming that trafficking in persons, and human 
rights in general, are fundamental priorities of the U.S. 
Government. 
 
----------------------- 
MAINTAINING THE LEDGERS 
----------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The delegation then proceeded to the border 
facilities, which included a handful of tidy, but small 
concrete buildings.  A group of about a dozen security forces 
greeted the delegation and thanked the U.S. Government for 
its military assistance programs over the years.  They also 
asked for additional assistance, noting that they did not 
even have vehicles or adequate facilities to ensure proper 
border security. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) At the customs and immigration facilities, 
officials demonstrated procedures for processing travelers. 
The immigration agent showed off six large, black ledger 
books sitting on his desk which he said were used to track 
various categories of travelers, including passport holders, 
ECOWAS card holders, laissez-passers, etcetera.  He showed 
 
CONAKRY 00000097  002 OF 003 
 
 
how each traveler was entered manually into the book.  When 
asked how many people cross the border on an average day, he 
looked confused.  He opened one book and said  well, we have 
had 45 passport holders so far today.,  His boss, the 
official in charge of both customs and immigration, did not 
have an answer either. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Poloff asked whether the agents had seen any drug 
trafficking.  The senior official immediately said no while 
the prefect simultaneously said yes.  The border official 
then demurred and said that maybe drugs were passing through 
elsewhere, but she had not seen any.  The prefect noted that 
she had just incinerated more than 20 kilos herself the 
previous day.  The border officials then said that many 
people cross the border at other entry points, often by 
motorcycle, and that it is difficult to keep track of them 
and what they are transporting. 
 
----------------- 
THE PARROT'S BEAK 
----------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The USAID Director also recently made a brief trip 
to the Sierra Leone border, near Nongoa, where Guinea's 
Forest Region juts out into the northern part of Sierra 
Leone, an area defined by the Makona River.  The region, 
around what is commonly referred to as the Parrot's Beak, 
witnessed heavy fighting between RUF forces and 
Nigerian/ECOWAS forces over several months during the war in 
Sierra Leone, leaving still visible evidence of violence. 
International borders mean little to the local residents who 
belong to the Kissi ethnic group near the convergence of the 
borders of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Libera.  A small 
contingent of Guinean troops are encamped on a hill on the 
Sierra Leonian side of the border, looking over at the 
Guinean market town of Nongoa.  There is no border post near 
the Sierra Leonian side of the river, perhaps because the 
border is allegedly disputed, but a Guinean tank could be 
seen sitting in the soldier's encampment at the top of the 
hill.  The river is easily traversed by small boats which are 
poled across by African gondoliers, although a small ferry 
operates when water levels are high. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The Guinean soldiers reportedly farm nearby fields, 
which originally belonged to the village of Yenga that the 
Guineans are said to have burnt at some point in order to 
prevent Sierra Leonians from spying on the troops.  According 
to local residents, the Guinean troops will often beat up 
locals who pass by their hill and look or point in their 
direction.  Photographs are out of the question.  The 
soldiers also sometimes reportedly raid neighboring Koindu in 
Sierra Leone, and this is said to stifle commercial activity 
in the once thriving market town.  Contacts said that the 
soldiers have been there for years with no real effort on the 
part of either the Guinean Government or the Sierra Leonian 
Government to force them out.  The issue reportedly gets 
virtually no press coverage.  USAID staff from Freetown who 
crossed over to Nongoa reported that it took the Guinean 
authorities a long time to simply locate the logbook used to 
record the names of visitors and that it obviously gets very 
little use. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) The southern border crossing looked like an 
isolated outpost in the middle of nowhere.  Compared to other 
West African border crossings, such as Nigeria/Benin or 
Ghana/Togo, there was very little activity.  The road itself 
was difficult, but the prefect said that it was the main 
crossing point and one of the few placer where heavy 
transport crosses over into Sierra Leone.  Border officials 
appeared to have no idea of how much traffic was actually 
crossing, saying only that it was generally  busy., 
Immigration tracking mechanisms were rudimentary and even if 
computers were available, they would likely have difficulty 
supplying them with steady power.  The officials spent time 
discussing how they turn away people with improper 
documentation, but it was not difficult to imagine those 
people simply walking a half mile down the road and then 
crossing where there was no entry point.  Although the 
prefect continues to encourage officials to remain vigilant, 
especially with respect to child trafficking, the border 
 
CONAKRY 00000097  003 OF 003 
 
 
remains porous.  If Pamelap is any example, Guinea,s borders 
are basically a sieve ) a few holes get plugged up, but 
there are plenty of holes left for those forced to reroute. 
END COMMENT. 
CARTER