FORCES VIVES SAYS DADIS SHOULD STEP DOWN AND BE

UNCLAS CONAKRY 000614

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D COPY - REMOVED SENSITIVE CAPTION

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL ASEC GV
SUBJECT: FORCES VIVES SAYS DADIS SHOULD STEP DOWN AND BE
TRIED FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY


1. (U) On October 1, the Forces Vives issued a strong
statement condemning the CNDD for their actions on September

28. In their communique, they accused the CNDD of ordering
the military to kill, rape, and humiliate anti-Dadis
demonstrators. They directly implicated CNDD president Moussa
Dadis Camara, Minister of Defense Sekouba Kounate, and
Permanent Secretary of the CNDD Moussa Keita in directing
what the Force Vives has been calling "the September 28
massacre." They also named Captain Diakite (Toumba) and
Dadis' nephew Theodore Kourouma for their part in "killing
and raping civilians in cold blood."



2. (U) The communique outlined several of the group's demands
for the CNDD including: the immediate return of all bodies
taken from the stadium; the relocation of all missing
persons; the immediate and unconditional release of all those
detained as a result of the September 28 demonstrations; the
reparation of all stolen or demolished property; and the
provision of medical care to the raped and injured. They also
called for ECOWAS, AU and the ICG to immediately deploy
peacekeeping forces to Guinea to protect the population
against future attacks.



3. (U) The communique also called for legal action to be
taken against the government in the International Criminal
Court for their "crimes against humanity." The authors also
demanded the formation of a national council that would work
to install a "responsible government" during a transitional
phase. Ruling that the government is unfit to lead, the Force
Vives closed their communique by asking that all Guineans
mobilize against the junta government. "Fifty years of
military dictatorship is enough," the statement said, "the
people of Guinea will no longer accept it."




4. (U) While many have reacted very positively to the Forces
Vives strong stance, other Guineans feel that the statement
is too strong and inflammatory during these tense times. Some
sources believe that Dadis will feel threatened by the Forces
Vives' statement and that it may cause unnecessary tension
between normal Guineans and their government.


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COMMENT
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5. (U) This statement by the Forces Vives is the strongest
stance the group has taken to date. In the weeks prior to
September 28, the Forces Vives focused mainly on the issue of
Dadis' candidacy. The most recent statement shows that the
opposition is no longer willing to work with the CNDD and is
demanding their immediate resignation. Since Monday, the
opposition has seemingly tried to pick up the pieces after
the attack and form a unified message. While this stance is
not surprising, given military attacks targeted against
Forces Vives members, it could very well set a new tone among
the opposition and direct the message of possible upcoming
demonstrations. The citizens' response highlights the
divisions between Guineans on what the next step should be.
While some feel that they shouldn't provoke any further
violent action by the government, others were ignited by
Monday's events.
BROKENSHIRE