MANO RIVER UNION SUMMIT CANCELLED, DADIS THREATENS

C O N F I D E N T I A L CONAKRY 000408 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO XA GV SUBJECT: MANO RIVER UNION SUMMIT CANCELLED, DADIS THREATENS MEDIA Classified By: A/DCM Andrew J. McLean for reason 1.4 B/D ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Captain Moussa Dadis Camara told RTG national television that his July 11 order to place Guinean troops on alert would not derail election preparations. He also threatened to arrest anyone criticizing the communique. The media reacted negatively to the July 11 communique, while Liberia and Guinea-Bissau denied any sort of threat was originating from their territory. A previously scheduled Mano River Union meeting for July 14 was cancelled due to the heightened state of alert of Guinean troops. End summary. ¶2. (U) On July 13, Dadis gave an interview with public and private media regarding the communique that placed troops along the Senegalese, Liberian and Guinea-Bissau border on alert. The interview was given after a meeting between Dadis and the President of Sierra Leone, who was in town for the start of a Mano River Union meeting, scheduled for July 14. Dadis assured the media that the communique had nothing to do with politics and was strictly a military matter. He said that the state of alert would not disrupt preparations for elections. He made a distinction between civilian and military matters and said he is committed to the timeline for elections. He then stated that anyone criticizing the communique, including the media, would be arrested. ¶3. (U) The July 11 communique, which said that troops funded by narco-traffickers were poised to invade Guinea from Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Liberia, was met with strong reactions by Guinea's neighbors. The head of Guinea-Bissau's armed forces, Zamora Induta, told Agence France Presse, "We have no troops on the border with Guinea. The only elements we have are a detachment of border guards, customs agents and border police, nothing more." Liberian Information Minister Lawrence Bropley strongly denied the allegations. He told VOA that Liberia would never again be used by groups to destabilize other countries in the sub-region. ¶4. (C) A Mano River Union summit, which was to include the presidents of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire, was cancelled suddenly July 14, the day it was to begin. Bropley told VOA that the meeting would be held at a later date. The Liberian Ambassador told the Charge d'Affaires that President Gbagbo of Cote d'Ivoire cancelled the meeting because he did not receive enough assurances from Dadis about security in Guinea. He said President Sirleaf of Liberia then cancelled her visit because she would not attend without Gbagbo. The Sierra Leonean President also left Guinea after the meeting was cancelled. ¶5. (C) Comment: The collapse of the Mano River Union summit indicates that Dadis's communique is having international repercussions. Press reports indicate that the public is highly skeptical of the threat posed by Guinea's neighbors. Dadis's threat to arrest anyone criticizing the communique could also have a chilling effect on reporting on the subject. One reporter from RFI told PD LES that he was now afraid to report on any criticism of the communique. There are reports that senior members of the CNDD are embarrassed by the situation and that Dadis's chief henchman Claud Pivi has arrested 30 officers who disagree with Dadis's communique. End comment. BROKENSHIRE