SAO TOME: GOVERNMENT COLLECTS WEAPONS FROM POLICE

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIBREVILLE 000502 SIPDIS KINSHASA PASS TO BRAZAVILLE YAOUNDE PASS TO MALABO SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/14/2012 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC TP SUBJECT: SAO TOME: GOVERNMENT COLLECTS WEAPONS FROM POLICE REBELS AND WEIGHS FURTHER STEPS REF: LIBREVILLE 0477 Classified By: CDA Nathan Holt for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) National authorities in Sao Tome and Principe (STP) have collected a significant quantity of weapons from the rebellious and now-disbanded "Ninja" police unit. Meanwhile, a senior government minister claims the Ninjas, who carried out armed occupations of the national police headquarters three times in the last two months, have ties to the political opposition. One Ninja was shot and killed and two others injured in the latest incident November 4. Ten Ninjas were subsequently arrested and detained by the army, which has effectively taken over leadership of the police force in STP. On November 13 President Fradique de Menezes convened an emergency meeting of senior leaders to respond to the Ninja problem and weigh potential changes in the government. End Summary. -------------- Weapons Collected -------------- ¶2. (U) In the aftermath of the latest "Ninja" incident (reftel),national authorities called on all members of the paramilitary unit to turn in their weapons. The army also launched a house-to-house search for weapons in the homes of Ninjas and their close relatives. In a broadcast on STP state television November 12, the army displayed a pickup truck full of weapons collected from the now-disbanded Ninja unit. Agence France Presse (AFP),in report filed from Sao Tome, quoted an army spokesman claiming that "almost 80" weapons had been recovered. The spokesman said the operation would continue until all Ninja weapons were collected. ¶3. (C) STP Defense Minister Oscar Sousa told CDA November 10 that various Ninjas had retained possession of a significant quantity of weapons, despite a signed agreement with the government under which they were obligated to disband and disarm. He said that at that time members of the Ninja unit still held AK-47s, Uzi sub-machine guns, pistols, and "4-5 bigger guns." Of approximately 100 total Ninjas prior to the latest incident, 10 were currently in detention, Sousa said. It was not immediately clear whether there were further detentions in the aftermath of the house-to-house weapons collection. ; -------------- Minister's Allegations -------------- ¶4. (C) The defense minister accused opposition politicians of exploiting the Ninja situation, and claimed that interrogation of Ninja detainees had revealed clear links between the mutinous police unit and leaders of the political opposition. Sousa declined to name the opposition figures involved--referring to them merely as "A" and "B"--but said they were linked to STP's main opposition party, the Movimento de Libertacao de Sao Tome e Principe/Partido Social Democrata (MLSTP/PSD). The MLSTP was Sao Tome's ruling party until De Menezes' ascent to the presidency in 2001. Sousa emphasized that the allegations involved individual politicians, not the MLSTP/PSD as a party. ¶5. (C) Sousa told CDA that the Ninja rebels had retained the keys to a government armory at the national police headquarters until the latest incident November 4. The police were unable to account for their own weapons inventory, Sousa said, and national police commander Gilberto Andrade--who had been taken hostage by the Ninjas during an incident October 8--was likely complicit with the rebels, Sousa claimed. Sousa also claimed that the Ninjas intended to assassinate unnamed political leaders, and were increasingly involved in organized crime. Andrade's status was not clear in the aftermath of the latest incident. Embassy staff in STP reported that the army has taken over direction of the police force. -------------- Details of Shooting -------------- ¶6. (C) Sousa also provided additional details of the shooting incident November 4. The government moved quickly when a group of about ten Ninjas re-occupied police headquarters just after midnight, Sousa told CDA. Starting at about 3:00 a.m., the army established a wide perimeter around the police headquarters, incorporating several blocks of downtown Sao Tome. Well-armed national forces then advanced on the national police headquarters, where they met little resistance. By dawn the rebellious police officers were safely in army custody at a nearby barracks. ¶7. (C) Then the trouble began. Alerted to the army's operation, remaining Ninjas converged on the national police headquarters after daybreak. According to Sousa, they intended to show solidarity with other members of their group, whom they erroneously believed were still present at the site. The newly-arrived Ninjas were unarmed, however, and some reportedly asked to be arrested along with the other members of their unit. One of the last to reach the headquarters, Sousa said, was a female who got into some kind of altercation with a soldier. The female Ninja, whom the defense minister claimed was trained in martial arts, struck the soldier and another Ninja moved to give her aid. At that point another soldier opened fire, killing the female Ninja and wounding two others. -------------- Political Machinations -------------- ¶8. (C) In a debate at the National Assembly November 9, one opposition MP called the incident an "outrageous assassination." Defense Minister Sousa, however, delivered a detailed rebuttal, and claimed to have documentary evidence of the Ninja's alleged ties to opposition political figures and plans to disrupt government. ¶9. (C) On November 13, Embassy staff reported that STP President de Menezes convened a five-hour high level meeting that included the leaders of all political parties represented in the National Assembly, as well as former STP President Manuel Pinto da Costa and other leading political figures. De Menezes told the press after the meeting that he believes it is time to make changes to the government, an apparent reference to a long-awaited cabinet reshuffle. It is also possible that De Menezes could call for new elections. De Menezes was scheduled to convene a formal meeting of the State Council November 14. The State Council meets rarely, and is empowered under the STP constitution to discuss dissolution of the National Assembly and dismissal of the government. Its members include the prime minister, the president of the National Assembly, and the president of the Constitutional Court. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) This protracted saga is not yet over. STP's political and security dynamics are complex--a mix of legitimate grievances, crude power grabs and something resembling a family feud. STP's multiparty democracy is standing up so far to these challenges, but the strain is evident. End Comment. HOLT