PRESIDENTIAL GUARD CONFISCATES COPIES OF "LA

UNCLAS CONAKRY 000767

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

-------------- C O R R E C T E D COPY RE-NUMBERING OF PARA --------------


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL ASEC GV
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL GUARD CONFISCATES COPIES OF "LA
LANCE" NEWSPAPER

REF: CONAKRY 0727


1. (SBU) Mr. Souleyman Diallo, Director of the independent
newspaper "La Lance" told PD LES on December 17 that soldiers
from the Red Berets (presidential guard) were in the process
of confiscating all copies of the latest edition of the
newspaper. Diallo said that Colonel Mamadouba Soumah, an
army officer, had summoned Diallo to Camp Samory Toure where
he criticized him for printing an unfavorable photograph of
President Conte on the newspaper's front page. Diallo said
he had not been threatened or harmed, and was allowed to
return to his office. (COMMENT. Last month, La Lance was
responsible for running the story on the Claude Pivi torture
case, including graphic photographs - see reftel. END
COMMENT).


2. (U) Embassy was able to obtain a copy of the newspaper,
which depicts Conte descending from his vehicle, one hand
holding on to the door, and the other gripping the hand of
someone helping him out of the vehicle. The headline reads
"Disquiet over the state of President Conte's Health - the
triumph of rumor." The actual article, on page 9, headlines
with "Like the scent of the end of the regime." The article
discusses the various rumors regarding the decline of Conte's
health, noting that the GoG's failure to respond to the
rumors has only increased concern. The bulk of the article
addresses Guinea's "political crisis" in general, criticizing
opposition political parties, unions, and civil society for
failing to effectively address governance issues.


3. (U) In a separate, unconfirmed, incident, editors of
another independent newspaper, La Verite, claim that they
have been under surveillance by "unidentified individuals"
after having published an open letter from the paper's
director, Thiernodjo Diallo, to President Conte on December

12. In the letter, the director called for Conte to dismiss
Prime Minister Souare. According to an internet news site
(Guinee24.com),another official at La Verite claims to have
received a death threat that demands that the newspaper stop
writing negative reports about the prime minister. (COMMENT.
The Guinean Government suspended La Verite on September 15
for a period of three months for accusing various government
officials of corruption. The sanction was lifted a week
later. END COMMENT).


4. (U) Following widespread rumors about the deteriorating
condition of President Conte's health, the Guinean Minister
of Communication and government spokesperson, Tibou Kamara,
appeared on national television the evening of December 16 to
reassure the population about the president's health. He
said that Conte is doing well and carrying out his functions
as usual. Kamara pointed out that the president's recent
meetings with the Minister Secretary General of the
Presidency, Alpha Ibrahima Keira, and with Prime Minister
Souare demonstrate that Conte is in good health.

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COMMENT
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5. (SBU) Conte's health has been a subject of much debate
over the last several days, and Embassy has repeatedly
received false reports of his death. These rumors have been
particularly active over the past few weeks. Over the past
18 months, the GoG's standard response has been for Conte to
make a public appearance, usually by driving around in his
presidential motorcade. The fact that Tibou Kamara went on
national television to alleviate fears seems unusual. The
press frequently use archived photos of Conte, or new photos
that show him seated with people all around him. The GoG is
unlikely to welcome wide distribution of an "unfavorable"
photo of Conte when potentially politically destabilizing
rumors are already running rampant. The photo seems fairly
innocuous, but Conte does appear thin and frail. END
COMMENT.
RASPOLIC