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. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶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