RFI CORRESPONDENT DISCUSSES GUINEAN MUTINY AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000292

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PD SLISENBY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR OIIP KPAO XA GV
SUBJECT: RFI CORRESPONDENT DISCUSSES GUINEAN MUTINY AND
CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP

Classified By: AMBASSADOR PHILLIP CARTER III FOR REASON 1.4 B AND D


1. (SBU) Summary: On June 9 PAO met the Radio France
International (RFI) correspondent Mouctar Bah over breakfast
to talk about some of the recent events in Guinea. Bah
talked about the ongoing mutiny and rumors that the Joint
Chief of Staff is implicated. He gave his opinion regarding
the appointment of Ahmed Souare, the new Prime Minister, and
the sacking of former Prime Minister Kouyate. He said that
he received threats from Kouyate supporters, including
Kouyate,s wife, when he criticized the former PM in one of
his reports. He also discussed the difficulties he has had
as an RFI reporter in a country that has a tenuous history
with France. End summary.


2. (SBU) Regarding the mutiny by soldiers at Camp Alpha
Yaya, Bah was surprised when members of the elite
Presidential Guard, known popularly as the Red Berets, told
him they thought the Joint Chief of Staff, General Diarra
Camara, was in league with the mutineers. The guards told
Bah that on the day of the confrontation between the
mutineers and the Red Berets at the Castro Bridge, Diarra
instructed the chief of operations of the Red Berets to let
the mutineers pass. The Red Berets backed off and the
mutineers were able to enter the city without resistance.
Reportedly Diarra said that if there is a coup, ECOWAS will
intervene to put it down. The guards took this to mean that
Diarra was in favor of a coup. When President Conte heard of
Diarra's actions, he reportedly deployed three hundred more
Red Berets across Kaloum and the Castro Bridge. Mouctar Bah
said that Diarra Camara is very close to Lansana Kouyate and
they see each other on a regular basis.


3. (C) Comment: General Diarra Camara,s appointment as the
Chief of Defense was initiated by Kouyate early in 2007 as a
response to the appointment of General Baillo Diallo (long
time Conte supporter) as the Minister of Defense, a fact that
lends some credence to Bah,s claim that Camara is involved
in the mutiny. Throughout the course of this mutiny, there
have been reports that General Camara maintained contact with
soldiers who he considered as still loyal to the regime. The
reports were that he was using this bloc to try and gauge
mutiny leader Claude Pivi,s (aka Coplan) attitudes towards
reconciliation, and to cause a split along ethnic lines among
the mutineers. The country team received confirmation of the
stand-off on the bridge, but follow-on reporting indicated
that access was granted in order to conduct negotiations at
the Ministry of Defense, and the additional troops that were
deployed were a result of reinforcements arriving from
Kindia, which had been requested by the Chief of Defense on
Wednesday morning. End Comment.


4. (SBU) As for the appointment of Souare as Prime Minister,
Mouctar Bah said that he was the "least bad" of all the
options. Bah does not personally know Souare, but believes
he was installed by the "old boys" of the Conte regime who
are Souare,s own friends. Bah says he will likely keep some
of Kouyate,s people, but the "old boys" will want to be
involved in the selection of a new government. Bah says he
has spoken to Souare and the PM told him the President has
given him the green light to choose who he wants for his
cabinet. Bah thinks the PM could announce his cabinet as
early as June 10.


5. (SBU) Bah says that after Kouyate was sacked he received
numerous harassing phone calls from Kouyate's wife. After
the sacking, Bah reported the circumstances and the reasons
for his dismissal, according to the point of view of the
average Guinean. His report highlighted people's frustration
at Kouyate's inability to live up to expectations to provide
water and electricity, and the diminishing purchasing power
of the Guinean people. He reported on Kouyate's battle with
the presidential clan and Kouyate's political ambitions. Mrs.
Kouyate called him the same day and asked why he had reported
the story the way he did. She made several harassing phone
calls and one day an unknown caller reportedly told him that
he was going to be shut down; the person added: &we are
Kouyate,s clan8.


6. (SBU) Bah said that he used to be harassed by the
President's allies until he told them that they had to do a
better job of giving their side of the story. Bah told them
that the President and his team need to keep the people
better informed. Bah said that until 2005 he did not feel
safe, especially as an RFI stringer. He said that one reason
was because RFI is so closely associated with France, and

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France in general represents a source of fear and
apprehension in Guinea. According to Bah, the presidential
entourage worries more about what RFI reports than other news
organizations, including local news outlets. He has had
better relations with the Presidency in recent years and they
now inform him when events are going to happen.


7. (SBU) Comment: Mouctar Bah has been a correspondent for
RFI in Guinea since 1996. He has been a good, credible
source for the Embassy and enjoys a solid reputation among
his fellow journalists. His reporting on Guinea is
frequently aired on RFI. He is well connected with the
various political factions in Guinea and PAO calls on Bah
whenever there is a crisis or political turmoil to find out
what he is hearing. End comment.
CARTER