LAWLESS SOLDIERS UNCHECKED BY MILITARY JUNTA

C O N F I D E N T I A L CONAKRY 000440 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC GV SUBJECT: LAWLESS SOLDIERS UNCHECKED BY MILITARY JUNTA REF: CONAKRY 433 Classified By: A/DCM J. Brenden Classified for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. SUMMARY. The security situation in Guinea continues to deteriorate. The recent beating of the country's second highest political and military figure at the hands of enlisted men, points to a broader problem with the army in general and the Presidential Guard, or red berets in particular. Soldiers routinely harass, rob, and assault local citizens without penalty. Gas stations, stores, and private citizens are caught up in this mayhem nightly. Dadis has taken no definitive steps to curb these acts perpetrated by the soldiers. The unwieldy size of the military and notorious lack of discipline points to increased destabilization as Guinea moves uncertainly toward elections. End Summary. ¶2. (C) The destabilizing influence of the military can be seen in a number of recent incidents. The alleged assault on the First Vice President and Minister of Security Major General Toto Camara by Presidential Guard soldiers (reftel), graphically illustrates the current state of insecurity in Guinea. Gas stations have been robbed so frequently at night by men in uniform they have begun to close before nightfall rather than around 10 p.m. Many robberies go unreported because the authorities will not react. There are nightly reports of red berets robbing and beating citizens with complete impunity. In another story, merchants at the largest Conakry market, closed shop to protest against the assaults and robberies routinely committed by men in military uniform. It has been reported that these may be military personnel or new recruits/civilians from Camp Alpha YaYa who are using the uniforms of the red berets. ¶3. (C) Dadis has not spoken publicly condemning the activities of the soldiers. In fact he has said that in order to reform the military the government needs more resources to provide a better standard of living for them. One of Dadis' Ministers has publicly encouraged extralegal action by the population as well. The recently named Minister of High Crimes, Captain Moussa Tiegboro Camara made an announcement inviting the population to burn/kill any thieves caught in the act. In one case he visited a neighborhood in which a criminal had been beaten to death by a mob. He viewed the body and praised their work in fighting crime. ¶4. (C) Dadis continues to expand his Presidential Guard which indicates that these problems will continue to increase. It is estimated that the size of the force has tripled in recent weeks to nearly 1,500 soldiers. Reports say that in order to join the Guard candidates need only pay a bribe at Camp Alpha YaYa and show up with an AK-47 which costs about $200 on the street. Even beyond the red beret, Guinea's military is roughly 10 times larger than the armed forces of many of its neighbors, even twice as large as Senegal,s military. The Guinean military has doubled its troop strength since 2007, and now stands at 35,000 members. For comparison, an example of a typical bordering state, Liberia, maintains a military force of only 2,000. 5.(C) The Minister of Presidential Security Claude Pivi is the erratic and brutal leader of the Presidential Guard. He has been implicated in a number of violent incidents including torture. Reports indicate that he strongly believes that his body is bulletproof. He hails from the forest region of Guinea as does Dadis, and a large share of the CNDD leadership. In recent weeks Pivi has tripled the size of his force by bringing in Forestiers from military units across the armed forces. He has also trucked in young recruits directly from that region. This force holds a strong allegiance to Pivi, and he protects those under his command from penalty or arrest. This has brought him into direct conflict with other high officials in the government. His force controls the majority of weapons and military equipment in Conakry. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) Guinea currently stands at a dangerous tipping point between insecurity and chaos. Observers predict that elections are unlikely to completely remove the power and influence of the military from Guinea's political scene. However, if the international community successfully moves Dadis to free and fair elections in 2009, international assistance will likely be available for serious security sector reform. End Comment. BROKENSHIRE