VZCZCXRO4051
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHRY #0035/01 0851330
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251330Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2324
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CONAKRY 000035 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ELAB PREL KDEM ASEC GV
SUBJECT: FRUSTRATED AND MARGINALIZED, GUINEA,S YOUTH ARE 
UNDECIDED ABOUT POSSIBLE LABOR STRIKE 
 
REF: CONAKRY 0029 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  During an Embassy hosted breakfast, 17 
Conakry-based youth leaders shared their views on the current 
political situation and the possibility of a nationwide labor 
strike at the end of the month.  Participants felt 
marginalized by both the government and non-government 
actors, repeatedly arguing that their interests are not 
effectively represented.  Many seemed disillusioned with the 
unions in particular and saw them as yet another specialized 
interest group.  On the question of supporting a strike, 
opinions were divided with some ready to strike tomorrow, and 
most still deliberating within their own organizations. 
However, it was clear that for these youth leaders, if they 
do support a strike, it will likely only be in order to use 
it as a mechanism for launching a broader protest against the 
socio-political situation rather than as a simple labor 
negotiation led by the unions.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On March 19, Poloff hosted a breakfast discussion 
with representatives from 17 different youth associations and 
organizations based in the capital.  Participants included 
lawyers, several non-governmental organizations, and young 
entrepreneurs, all of whom are well known for their active 
civic involvement.  Most of them come from strong educational 
backgrounds, including two with master,s degrees earned in 
the United States.  Many also are gainfully employed, some 
with their own businesses, and a few others working for 
multinational mining companies.  Two of the 17 participants 
were women.  Participants were passionate and animated as 
they discussed Guinea,s current political situation and the 
role of the country,s youth in the democratic process.  Some 
of them seemed to know each other already, but several 
commented that it was the first time they had sat down 
together as a group to discuss current issues. 
 
--------------------------- 
NO ONE REPRESENTS THE YOUTH 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In response to a question about how well the 
government and other actors, such as the political parties 
and civil society, are representing youth interests, 
participants unanimously agreed that no one currently speaks 
for the country,s youth.  Several participants commented on 
how various organizations manipulate youths, often through 
direct financial contributions, in order to generate support 
for their own political objectives.  One pointed out that the 
youth are largely unemployed and lack the financial means to 
effectively organize themselves, which makes them vulnerable 
to outside influence.  Another said that political actors, 
especially political parties, only come to the youths when 
they need support to get what they want.  &They promise us 
that they will represent us and then when they get what they 
want, they forget about us,8 one said.  Another added that 
&we never see any youths on the elections ballots.8 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Several participants scoffed when the discussion 
turned to the government, gesturing animatedly as they 
complained about the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Sports. 
One said that the Ministry really only focuses on sports and 
ignores the rest of it its job.  Another said that the 
Ministry should be able to coordinate youth representation 
and activities, but government officials cannot even provide 
an accurate list of registered youth associations. 
Participants pointed out that the Ministry should have some 
kind of operational plan for promoting youth interests, but 
it does not.  Others said that the government does not want 
to facilitate greater cohesion among youth associations 
because it does not want any &counterpoint8 to its 
leadership.  &This government does not encourage alternative 
viewpoints; the door for free expression is closed,8 one 
said. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) There was also some discussion regarding the youth 
conference the government organized in Kindia in November 
¶2007.  One participant said that the conference had many 
weaknesses, but it did succeed in creating a national 
committee of youth that is in the process of formulating an 
action plan.  Others openly criticized the Kindia conference, 
saying that participation was directed by the government and 
highly selective. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) One of the two women participants piped up at one 
point and said that if &we are weakly represented, it is our 
own fault.8  She pointed out that the youths allow 
themselves to be manipulated.  According to her, the youths 
 
CONAKRY 00000035  002 OF 003 
 
 
do not lack initiative, but they do lack the political will 
to unify and constructively advocate for what it wants. 
 
-------------------------- 
TO STRIKE OR NOT TO STRIKE 
-------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Poloff asked participants whether there was more 
support among the youths for a possible nationwide labor 
strike towards the end of the month, in reference to the 
March 31 union deadline (reftel).  One representative 
immediately said that they would not have supported a strike 
in early January 2008, but they are ready to support it now. 
&The situation is untenable and we are ready to do what is 
necessary, more even than what was done in January and 
February 2007,8 he said.  Others were more circumspect.  A 
young vice-president of finance for Global Alumina (and 
graduate of a U.S. master,s program) said that a strike is 
not the answer, but that the political situation is very 
tense.  He said that the current consensus government was 
built on the bodies of the dead, but that it has failed and 
must leave.  &What we need is a complete regime change,8 he 
said.  When Poloff asked how he was proposing to get such a 
change, he shrugged his shoulders and said he didn,t know, 
but &a strike is not the answer and we are trying to figure 
out what to do.8 
 
¶8.  (SBU) A representative from the business community spoke 
up and said that his organization strongly supported the 
unions during the 2007 strike.  He pointed out that a few 
hundred business enterprises are members of his organization 
and they all closed their doors when the strike was called. 
He said that his organization was not willing to support a 
strike in early 2008, but that they are still deciding 
whether they will support a strike now if it is called at the 
end of the month. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Another participant said that the country has 
essentially returned to exactly where it was in 2006 and 
2007, with no visible progress.  He said that &we risk much 
by going down this path, but we cannot continue to cross our 
arms and do nothing.8 
 
------------- 
LE CHANGEMENT 
------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Feeding off discussion of a possible strike, 
participants talked at length about what kind of change the 
country needs.  Several pointed out that everyone keeps 
talking about &le changement,8 but that no one group, 
leader, or organization identifies it in the same way.  A 
female participant said that if change is defined as a simple 
change of regime, there is no guarantee that the fundamental 
problems plaguing the country will be addressed.  She said 
that a regime change would likely only result in a change of 
leadership rather than the systemic change that is 
desperately needed.  According to her, the constitution needs 
to be changed in order to achieve democratic progress. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Several participants were highly critical of the 
labor unions saying that the unionists have big egos and see 
themselves as political entities, when in fact, they do not 
really represent the general population.  One pointed out 
that during the civil unrest in 2007, he was present at a 
tense negotiation and when he stood up to offer his comments, 
he was asked if he belonged to a union, and when he said that 
he did not, was told to sit down.  He asked the group of 
participants &are the unions the only ones who can say what 
the country needs?8 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Other participants agreed that if there is a 
strike, it will only be part of a larger popular movement for 
political change.  &If we let the unions manage this strike, 
the country will burn,8 one said.  &If we strike, it will 
be against poverty and weak governance,8 another said. 
 
----------------------- 
RESISTING ETHNOCENTRISM 
----------------------- 
 
¶13.  (SBU) At various points in the discussion, participants 
raised the issue of growing ethnic divisions.  Several 
commented on efforts by various organizations, the 
government, and especially political parties, to manipulate 
the youth according to ethnic backgrounds.  One said that the 
elder population has been actively fueling ethnic conflict. 
 
CONAKRY 00000035  003 OF 003 
 
 
Several participants said that Guinea has the potential to be 
another Rwanda, with one saying &it will be much worse here 
than in Rwanda.8  Others made similar comparisons to the 
current situation in Kenya.  There was a general consensus 
that ethnic divisions needed to be avoided as they have the 
potential to destroy the country.  One said &when we hear 
the elders speak, we are scared.8 
 
------------- 
SEEKING UNITY 
------------- 
 
¶14.  (SBU) Towards the end of the discussion, several 
participants called for unity among various youth actors. 
One said that they &must avoid being anyone,s puppets.8 
They generally agreed that they all share the same concerns 
and need to discuss a common strategy for advancing their 
interests.  Participants shared contact information and 
agreed to participate in a follow-on meeting on March 28. 
 
------------------- 
WITH OR WITHOUT YOU 
------------------- 
 
¶15.  (SBU) In concluding the event, Poloff told participants 
that numerous political contacts repeatedly tell Embassy 
officials that they have strong youth representation within 
their ranks.  Poloff noted that the youth,s message that 
morning was that the existing organizational structures do 
not generally represent them very well, a comment that 
participants vehemently agreed with.  Noting that many 
political actors are talking about the same things they are 
and defining a strategy for achieving change, Poloff 
encouraged participants to speak up and ensure that their 
voices are heard, pointing out that the democratic transition 
process will likely continue to move forward, whether the 
youth are actively participating or not. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶16.  (SBU) The meeting participants represented a strong 
cross-section of some of Conakry,s most active youth 
leaders.  As the discussion progressed, it was clear that 
while many of them had not openly discussed politics with 
each other before, they generally shared the same 
dissatisfaction and frustration with both the government and 
non-government actors.  Several participants repeatedly 
commented on the need for unity and coordination of efforts, 
and later thanked the U.S. Embassy for facilitating a much 
needed meeting. 
 
¶17.  (SBU) While participants generally agreed on the 
underlying political and social problems, there were many 
different viewpoints as to solutions to those problems. 
Everyone agreed that the current regime, including the 
consensus government, is ineffective.  They also seemed to 
believe that the leading non-government actors (namely the 
unions, opposition political parties, and civil society) are 
more likely to perpetuate the mistakes of the past rather 
than offer up a workable solution for the future. 
Participants were divided on the issue of a labor strike, 
with most feeling that it is an inappropriate mechanism for 
achieving their objectives.  At the same time, there was a 
sense from some that the current situation is intolerable and 
they may support the strike if it called, if only to protest 
in principle and start pushing for action.  END COMMENT. 
BROKENSHIRE