VZCZCXRO0588
PP RUEHPA
DE RUEHRY #0466 2241316
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 121316Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3913
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

C O N F I D E N T I A L CONAKRY 000466 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/IP/ITA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2029 
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PMIL KDEM GV
SUBJECT: ASSAULT OF GHANA'S AMBASSADOR TO GUINEA 
 
Classified By: RSO Philip W. Nazelrod for reason 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C)  On August 8, 2009, Ghana,s Ambassador to Guinea was 
reportedly briefly kidnapped, robbed, and beaten by three men 
wearing Guinean Armed Forces (GAF) uniforms.  A victim of 
what appears to be a well planned crime, Ambassador Dominic 
Aboayje was released by his captors after being beaten and 
robbed of everything but his trousers.  This event is 
significant as it demonstrates the inability of the GOG to 
control it,s military as even diplomats have become targets 
of not only petty theft, but kidnapping and physical 
assaults. 
 
¶2.  (U)  On August 8, 2009 at approximately 2230, Ambassador 
Aboayje and an unknown female passenger were driving on 
Toauyah Road towards downtown Conakry.  As their vehicle, a 
Toyota Prada with diplomatic (CD) license plates, approached 
the intersection with Rue 124, they were involved in a minor 
traffic accident.  As Aboayje exited the vehicle, he was 
grabbed by three men wearing GAF uniforms.  After forcibly 
removing Aboayje,s female passenger, the three assailants 
and Aboayje entered Aboajye,s vehicle and sped off to a 
location (named T-6) on the outskirts of Conakry.  At T-6, 
the assailants beat Abaoyje and robbed him of his vehicle and 
personal possessions, abandoning Aboayje with nothing more 
than his trousers.  Ambassador Aboayje, able to locate a Good 
Samaritan who gave him some money, took a taxi to a nearby 
police checkpoint in the Lambanyi neighborhood.  The police 
opened an investigation but have no strong leads or suspects 
at this point. 
 
¶3.  (U)  ECOWAS Ambassador to Guinea, Edward Aina, told 
Charge Brokenshire that the Ambassador of Ghana repeatedly 
told his captors that he was a diplomat.  Aina, who spoke at 
length with Aboayje after the incident, said Aboayje had been 
beaten about the face and his eyes were visibly swollen and 
bruised. 
 
¶4.  (U) Furthermore, the Spanish Ambassador to Guinea, Jesus 
Santos, told Embassy contacts of an incident he was involved 
in earlier last week.  While traveling in his official 
vehicle during the early evening, Santos was stopped by an 
unofficial checkpoint near downtown Conakry.  Men in GAF 
uniforms demanded he give them money and cigarettes in order 
to proceed.  Santos refused and ordered his driver to leave, 
which he did without further incident.  As a result, 
Ambassador Santos requested four additional security officers 
to come to Conakry from Spain.  Additionally, France, 
according to sources, is considering bringing additional 
Gendarme officers from France in an effort to bolster their 
embassy,s security profile. 
 
¶5.  (C)  COMMENT:  Certain elements of the incident suggest 
that this crime may have been planned in advance.  The 
assailants used a tactic reminiscent of a &bump and rob8, 
where a lead vehicle stops suddenly causing the target 
vehicle (following too close) to stop-short and be rear-ended 
by a tail vehicle.  The uniformed assailants, waiting for 
Aboayje at the accident location, went into action as soon as 
the accident occurred.  The assault occurred in an area of 
Conakry referred to as &Le Petit Lac8.  &Le Petit Lac8 is 
considered a seedy part of Conakry known for prostitution and 
is avoided by most police officers at night due to the 
aggressiveness of patrons.  Furthermore, it is reported that 
some active duty GAF members, after leaving work around 2000, 
lend their uniforms to bandits for use during the nighttime 
hours.  It is unlikely the GOG will capture the assailants 
and little is being done to curb the growing criminal 
activity. END COMMENT. 
BROKENSHIRE