NEW MINISTER OF SECURITY PROMISES ANTI-NARCOTICS

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000628

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/22/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV SNAR GV
SUBJECT: NEW MINISTER OF SECURITY PROMISES ANTI-NARCOTICS
COOPERATION

REF: A. CONAKRY 507

B. CONAKRY 184

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Classified By: DCM Kent C. Brokenshire for reasons 1.4 B & D


1. (C) Summary: Guinea's newly-appointed Minister of
Security promised full cooperation and 'total transparency'
with the US in fighting narco-trafficking in Guinea. He
stated that narco-corruption had spread throughout the
presidency and government, but that he had a mandate from
President Conte to aggressively stamp it out. The Minister
promised to reign in illegal military and police roadblocks
by working with the Minister of Defense to purge security
forces of rogue elements. The Minister also provided fresh
insights into the life of Ousmane Conte, the
narco-trafficking son of Guinea's president. He claimed the
previous Minister of Security had initially made a sincere
effort to combat narco-trafficking, but had eventually fallen
under its corrupting influence, a threat he will surely have
to face himself. End Summary

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FIRST TARGET: ROGUE SECURITY FORCES
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2.(C) Guinea's new Minister of Security, Elhadj Madifing
Diane, paid an unexpected call on Charge Raspolic and DCM
October 21. Consular business brought him to the Embassy, but
while here Diane decided to make a courtesy call on the
Charge, and took the occasion to emphasize that he wished
strong cooperation with the Mission to combat
narco-trafficking in Guinea. Over coffee in the Embassy
cafeteria, Diane said he planned to improve security in
Conakry by working with the Minister of Defense and the
Minister of Territorial Administration to purge security
forces of rogue elements who have lately been setting up
illegal roadblocks late at night to extort money from the
populace. He plans joint military/police patrols to track
down and arrest uniformed security personnel who engage in
such banditry. He also plans to encourage local communities
to report the presence of rogue soldiers. As an incentive,
the Minister said he will donate to the communities any money
confiscated from these soldiers.

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A POLICY OF 'TOTAL TRANSPARENCY'
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3. (C) Turning to narcotics, Diane said he wanted a
relationship of total transparency with the Embassy. He
stated that his predecessor, former Minister of Security
Mohamed Damba, had originally been aggressive in pursuing
narco-traffickers and seizing cocaine, but had eventually
begun to cooperate with them. "At the end he was walking with
the bad guys," he said. According to Diane, when Damba tried
to interdict a shipment of cocaine reportedly hidden in a
truck loaded with fish, he seized one of two trucks the
traffickers had set up as decoys. The vehicle hauling the
actual cocaine reportedly got through (Ref A).


4. (C) Diane did not propose any specific action on stemming
the flow of cocaine through Guinea. However, he did state
that narco-corruption had thoroughly penetrated President
Conte's inner circle of advisers and friends to the point
that he refused to accept any of them on his team at the
Ministry of Security. "I will work alone, and if I do not
succeed I will resign," he said.

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INFLUENCING OUSMANE
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5. (C) Diane said President Conte fully backed a strong
anti-narcotics approach. As such, he planned to personally
press President Conte to force his son, Ousmane Conte, out of
the drug trade. He also claimed to have met with Ousmane
Conte's mother, who is not married to the President. He said
he urged her to talk her son into finding a more legitimate
line of work. He reportedly told her that Ousmane could keep
the money he has thus far made, but to remain in the
trafficking business would be 'very dangerous' for him.

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OUSMANE'S VENTURES IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
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6. (C) Diane said Ousmane Conte was run out of his base at
the seaport of Kamsar by the populace after he engaged the
services of local women in making pornographic movies.

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According to Diane, the town got wind of Ousmane's cinematic
enterprises after a Guinean living in Paris traveled to
Kamsar to find a wife. After the marriage he returned with
his bride to Paris. However, a Guinean friend soon visited
the couple and brought with him a pornographic video. Later
that evening, when the two men watched the video, the
newlywed husband was shocked to find his wife featured as
part of the evening's entertainment. He promptly returned
with her to Kamsar, gave her back to her family, and showed
the video to the family as justification. Within a few days,
Imams were reportedly denouncing Ousmane's wickedness in
mosques across Kamsar, and exhorting their congregations to
chase him out of town. On an aside, the Minister said that
the women who participated in Ousmane's film ventures were
allegedly given new Chinese motorcycles as payment. Though
Ousmane was reportedly driven out several months ago, women
riding motorcycles in Kamsar are still viewed with suspicion.
(Note: Ousmane may still periodically visit Kamsar. We have
received at least one report placing Ousmane in Kamsar as
late as August. End Note)

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COMMENT
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7. (S) Diane is professional police officer with 40 years of
experience. His appointment by President Conte signals that
at least the Head of State is taking the narcotics issue
seriously. This Embassy's dealings with him over the years
suggest that he is essentially honest and cooperative. He
took part in the USG-sponsored ILEA program in Gaborone
earlier this year. In May, while attending a drug burning as
controller general of the police (Ref B),he agreed to allow
then Ambassador Carter to take a sample of the alleged drugs
for testing, but was loudly countermanded by the director of
the anti-drug police Thermite Mara and police director
general Sekou Bangoura, both of whom have since been sacked.
As we later discovered, the cocaine was actually laundry
detergent. This incident seems to suggest that Diane has thus
far been able to stand aloof from the corruption around him.
However, narco-traffickers and their patrons within the
presidency are sure to offer Diane tantalizing bribes in
order to maintain their lucrative trade. Diane says his honor
cannot be bought at any price. His predecessor told us
essentially the same thing, but in the end reportedly
succumbed. Diane's real test is yet to come.


8. (S) Diane's bold intention to simultaneously put down
narco-trafficking in Guinea, purge security forces of
banditry, and empower citizens to denounce rogue soldiers
will likely spark a major backlash against him from powerful
quarters. The latter plan in particular is fraught with
possibilities for abuse. In his acceptance speech on assuming
charge of the Ministry of Security, Diane made no mention of
these initiatives to gathered government officials. Their
implementation may catch many by surprise. The Spanish
Ambassador, who has also had favorable dealing with Diane,
told DCM October 21 that he was concerned that Diane might be
fired from his job in short order or even assassinated if he
does not take a more measured approach to his objectives.
This is a concern we share, and will address with him at the
appropriate time.
RASPOLIC