U.S. ENDORSEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 000775

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, AND IO/UNP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/21/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PU XY
SUBJECT: U.S. ENDORSEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR
GUINEA-BISSAU ASSASSINATIONS INVESTIGATION

Classified By: Ambassador Marcia S. Bernicat for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d
).


1. (SBU) This is an action request. See paragraph 6 for
action request to endorse UN Security Council support for a
hybrid commission of inquiry for Guinea-Bissau.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: In response to the May 22 request from
Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior to United Nations
Secretary General Ban Ki Moon (UNSYG) that the UN set up an
international commission of inquiry to investigate the March
assassinations of former President Joao Bernardo Vieira and
former Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Batista Tagme Na
Wai, UN officials are planning to propose instead that the
international community provide technical assistance and
political support to the Bissau-Guinean national commission
of inquiry's ongoing investigation, thus creating a so-called
"hybrid" commission of inquiry. END SUMMARY.

Guinea Bissau Requests International Commission of Inquiry
-------------- --------------


3. (SBU) On May 22, Prime Minister Gomes formally asked the
United Nations to establish an international commission of
inquiry into the March assassinations. Following the June 5
killings of Minister of Territorial Administration Baciro
Dabo, National Assembly Deputy Helder Proenca and others as
a result of an alleged coup plot, the GOGB publicly announced
the request. According to UN Guinea-Bissau Desk Officer
Denise O,Brien, the UN Secretariat is concerned that such a
commission will be too costly, take too long to complete its
work, and deflect responsibility for conducting the
investigation and, as a result, stemming the violence from
the GOGB to the international community. The UN Secretariat
therefore supports deploying a large number of international
technical advisors (e.g., police investigators and
prosecutors) to Guinea-Bissau to aid in the investigation and
compel, through their presence, the full cooperation of the
armed forces. The plan also envisions a witness protection
program and an international framework to aid in the
prosecution of eventual detainees. The Secretary General,s
Special Representative to Guinea-Bissau, Joseph Mutaboba,
will address the Security Council on June 23 and request UNSC
endorsement of the plan.

Security Element for Commission
--------------


4. (C) In the aftermath of the March assassinations, Foreign
Ministers of the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) agreed that a protection or stabilization force
should be sent to Guinea-Bissau to maintain security during
the presidential elections and SSR process. While initially
supported by the Bissau-Guinean Foreign Minister, Prime
Minister Gomes has since come out strongly against the idea.
Most observers believe the civilian government's opposition
is largely due to pressure being applied by and fear of
violence from the military. However, in light of the more
recent killings, many believe that there might be a window of
opportunity for convincing the government to accept some form
of armed intervention force, if only to provide security for
the hybrid commission of inquiry and protection for
witnesses. Such a force, some observers believe, could pave
the way for a larger stabilization force in support of
security sector reform (SSR).


5. (C) COMMENT: The UN,s proposed "hybrid" commission of
inquiry is the most creative and practical suggestion Post
has heard of to date and may be the best hope for obtaining
military cooperation in an investigation which will
undoubtedly implicate a number of serving high-ranking
officers, including in all likelihood the acting Deputy Chief
of Staff, Antonio Indjai, who is widely suspected of having
ordered men from his battalion to kill the former president.
If done properly with vigorous international support, the
&hybrid8 commission could serve as a beach head for broader
SSR that would professionalize a military that is currently
little more than a group of armed vigilantes and dominated by
the Balanta ethnic group. An international security presence
could also limit the military,s ability in the short term to
continue its extra-judicial arrests and human rights
violations. END COMMENT.


6. (SBU) ACTION REQUESTED: Post recommends that the
Department instruct the U.S. Mission to the UN to endorse the
provision of international investigative support and
technical assistance to Guinea-Bissau (noting that the United
States has already done so in the form of FBI assitance to
the investigation) and the creation of a proposed "hybrid"

DAKAR 00000775 002 OF 002


commission of inquiry. Given the unwieldy nature of an
international commission, the hybrid proposal offers a more
realistic and practical approach to attempting to end the
long cycle of killing with impunity in Guinea-Bissau. To
that end, Embassy Dakar also recommends that USUN be
instructed to request that the UN Secretariat evaluate the
need for a security element (e.g., provided by UN, African
Union or ECOWAS, perhaps with support from CPLP) for the
proposed hybrid commission to protect its members, witnesses,
and key members of government, including the president, prime
minister, defense, interior and justice ministers, and
attorney general.
BERNICAT