ASSAULT OF GHANA'S AMBASSADOR TO GUINEA

C O N F I D E N T I A L CONAKRY 000466 SIPDIS FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/IP/ITA E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2029 TAGS: ASEC PGOV PMIL KDEM GV SUBJECT: ASSAULT OF GHANA'S AMBASSADOR TO GUINEA Classified By: RSO Philip W. Nazelrod for reason 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On August 8, 2009, Ghana,s Ambassador to Guinea was reportedly briefly kidnapped, robbed, and beaten by three men wearing Guinean Armed Forces (GAF) uniforms. A victim of what appears to be a well planned crime, Ambassador Dominic Aboayje was released by his captors after being beaten and robbed of everything but his trousers. This event is significant as it demonstrates the inability of the GOG to control it,s military as even diplomats have become targets of not only petty theft, but kidnapping and physical assaults. ¶2. (U) On August 8, 2009 at approximately 2230, Ambassador Aboayje and an unknown female passenger were driving on Toauyah Road towards downtown Conakry. As their vehicle, a Toyota Prada with diplomatic (CD) license plates, approached the intersection with Rue 124, they were involved in a minor traffic accident. As Aboayje exited the vehicle, he was grabbed by three men wearing GAF uniforms. After forcibly removing Aboayje,s female passenger, the three assailants and Aboayje entered Aboajye,s vehicle and sped off to a location (named T-6) on the outskirts of Conakry. At T-6, the assailants beat Abaoyje and robbed him of his vehicle and personal possessions, abandoning Aboayje with nothing more than his trousers. Ambassador Aboayje, able to locate a Good Samaritan who gave him some money, took a taxi to a nearby police checkpoint in the Lambanyi neighborhood. The police opened an investigation but have no strong leads or suspects at this point. ¶3. (U) ECOWAS Ambassador to Guinea, Edward Aina, told Charge Brokenshire that the Ambassador of Ghana repeatedly told his captors that he was a diplomat. Aina, who spoke at length with Aboayje after the incident, said Aboayje had been beaten about the face and his eyes were visibly swollen and bruised. ¶4. (U) Furthermore, the Spanish Ambassador to Guinea, Jesus Santos, told Embassy contacts of an incident he was involved in earlier last week. While traveling in his official vehicle during the early evening, Santos was stopped by an unofficial checkpoint near downtown Conakry. Men in GAF uniforms demanded he give them money and cigarettes in order to proceed. Santos refused and ordered his driver to leave, which he did without further incident. As a result, Ambassador Santos requested four additional security officers to come to Conakry from Spain. Additionally, France, according to sources, is considering bringing additional Gendarme officers from France in an effort to bolster their embassy,s security profile. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: Certain elements of the incident suggest that this crime may have been planned in advance. The assailants used a tactic reminiscent of a &bump and rob8, where a lead vehicle stops suddenly causing the target vehicle (following too close) to stop-short and be rear-ended by a tail vehicle. The uniformed assailants, waiting for Aboayje at the accident location, went into action as soon as the accident occurred. The assault occurred in an area of Conakry referred to as &Le Petit Lac8. &Le Petit Lac8 is considered a seedy part of Conakry known for prostitution and is avoided by most police officers at night due to the aggressiveness of patrons. Furthermore, it is reported that some active duty GAF members, after leaving work around 2000, lend their uniforms to bandits for use during the nighttime hours. It is unlikely the GOG will capture the assailants and little is being done to curb the growing criminal activity. END COMMENT. BROKENSHIRE