CIVILIANS APPEAR TO CONDEMN MILITARY MUTINY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000251

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2018
TAGS: PGOV PMIL ASEC KDEM GV
SUBJECT: CIVILIANS APPEAR TO CONDEMN MILITARY MUTINY

REF: A. CONAKRY 0223-0228

B. CONAKRY 0231-0233

C. CONAKRY 0236-0247

Classified By: POL/ECON CHIEF SHANNON CAZEAU FOR REASON 1.4 B AND D


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Pol/Econ staff telephoned a number of key
contacts throughout the civilian sector on May 30 in order to
get a sense of the public's reaction to Guinea's continuing
military mutiny (reftels). Opinions were mixed. Most
contacts are condemning the mutineers, but the younger
generation may be more sympathetic to the mutineers'
objectives, if not their methods. END SUMMARY.

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LOCAL BUSINESSES
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2. (SBU) The President of a local business association that
claims 15,000 members told ECON LES that the business
community generally does not support the mutiny. He noted
that whenever there is unrest, local businesses are prime
targets for looting and other destructive behavior, and that
there is no mechanism for prosecuting the responsible
individuals for damages. Contact said that most businesses
continue to stay closed, mostly because of the lack of access
to fuel. He added that the lack of transportation is
beginning to impact food distribution and availability,
especially for local citizens who generally do not store food
for more than a few days at a time.


3. (SBU) A business representative in Nongo, which is near
the U.S. Embassy, told Econ LES that she does not support the
mutineers and blames the president, who she described as
"weak," for his failure to react effectively.


4. (SBU) An LES said that when she was in a local open air
market the other day, she saw a couple of armed soldiers
threatening the vendors. According to LES, one of the market
ladies started yelling at the soldiers saying "Why are you
stealing from us? You know where the problem is. The
president is downtown. Go downtown, leave us alone."

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POLITICAL PARTIES
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5. (C) The president of the opposition Union Force
Republican (UFR) political party, Sidya Toure, told LES that
the situation is critical. He said that the population
should have gotten rid of Conte last year and if they had,
Guinea would not have been faced with the current situation.
Toure added that Guinea cannot afford to have an annual
strike or coup. According to Toure, the situation indicates
that the country does not have a legitimate head of
government nor any control over the military.


6. (SBU) The Secretary General of the opposition Rally for
the Guinean People (RPG) party, Dr. Mohammed Diane, said that
no one knows what is really going on. He said that party
members cannot even get together to have an internal
discussion because the situation is unsafe and no one has any
fuel. The president of the Union for Progress and Renewal
(UPR) party, Ousmane Bah, offered little comment, saying only
that the party is trying to understand what is going on
before reacting.


7. (SBU) From the Union of Guinean People (UPG) party, party
president Jean-Marie Dore said he thinks the situation will
calm down today. He told LES that he was glad the Rangers
have arrived and knows that they understand that their role
is to protect state institutions. Before ending the call,
Dore said that he fully supports the new prime minister, Dr.
Ahmed Tidiane Souare.

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THE YOUTH
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8. (C) Two prominent youth leaders, both of whom are well
educated and actively involved with various youth
associations in the capital, came to the Embassy yesterday
and met with Econoff to discuss their perspectives.
According to them, this mutiny is the military version of the
general labor strike of early 2007. They said that the
situation was predictable and that they had been hearing
about specific plans for a mutiny for more than three weeks.
Contact said that the current crisis illustrates the

CONAKRY 00000251 002 OF 002


generational divide and the marginalization of Guinea's young
people. He said that younger soldiers are trying to get rid
of the corrupt old guard in order to reform the military and
provide opportunities for the younger generation to move into
leadership positions.


9. (C) The youth leaders said that the current mutiny is not
linked to the dismissal of the former prime minister,
emphasizing that Guinean youth are interested in a peaceful
transition, and that they had already met with the new prime
minister to advise him of their concerns and interests.


10. (C) ECON LES also spoke to a young student living near
Kilometer 36, which marks the edge of Conakry and the gateway
to the interior of the country. Contact said that he had
heard shooting during the night. When asked for his opinion
on the current situation, Contact said that the mutineers
should continue to push the government. According to him,
the important thing is to get rid of the old corrupt guard
and let the younger generation start filling some of the
senior positions.

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CIVIL SOCIETY
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11. (SBU) The spokesperson for the National Council of Civil
Society Organizations told Pol LES that the Council's
Executive Bureau is currently meeting (12:00 noon) and
drafting a declaration that will publicly condemn the
mutineers. Contact added that the Council will be holding a
broader meeting tomorrow to discuss the political situation
with its membership.


12. (SBU) The head of a local NGO, the Mano River Union
Women's Network for Peace, told Pol LES that the situation is
"very painful and difficult." A mid-level contact at the
Ministry of Finance told Econ LES that the situation downtown
is calm. He added that no one within the ministry supports
the military's actions because soldiers have been attacking
civilians.

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COMMENT
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13. (SBU) The above comments give a good indication of how
the civilian population may be seeing the military mutiny.
Most contacts appear to be condemning the mutineers' actions.
However, the younger generation may be more understanding of
the mutineers' motivations, although they may ultimately
disagree with the mutineers' methods. END COMMENT.
CARTER