SIERRA LEONE RESPONSE ON GUINEAN DEMARCHES

S E C R E T FREETOWN 000408 NOFORN SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/FO E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS PHUM KDEM GV SL SUBJECT: SIERRA LEONE RESPONSE ON GUINEAN DEMARCHES REF: A. STATE 105345 ¶B. STATE 107327 Classified By: Political/Economic Officer Amy LeMar for reasons 1.4 (b/ d) ¶1. (S/NF) CDA and Poloff delivered reftel demarche points to President Koroma on October 16, prior to his departure for the emergency ECOWAS summit in Abuja. Koroma stated that the Guinean situation is deteriorating, and that if it is "not arrested now...the tragedy might worsen beyond that which we have already seen." He believes that all ECOWAS nations are committed to ameliorating the situation as quickly as possible, and to investigating the events of September 28. He said that those responsible for the atrocities that occurred must be held to account; anything short of that would weaken good governance and rule of law in the region. ¶2. (S/NF) CDA and Poloff met a high-level security contact while departing State House, who said that it is clear to his government that Guinea is crumbling. He has no doubt that any kind of intervention will result in gunfights and bloodshed, but seemed to view this as reasonable collateral damage in the fight for Guinea's stabilization. His remarks implied that Sierra Leone is bracing itself for more, seemingly inevitable violence across the border, regardless of how the international community intervenes. FEDZER