GABON: EAC MEETING CONVENED FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT

UNCLAS LIBREVILLE 000275 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/C FOR LISA KORTE AND DS/IP/AF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT PREL ASEC GB SUBJECT: GABON: EAC MEETING CONVENED FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATH OF PRESIDENT BONGO REF: LIBREVILLE 270 ¶1. (SBU) Following the announcement of the death of Gabon's President Omar Bongo Ondimba, a meeting of Post's EAC was convened at 1930 at the CMR. The meeting was chaired by the Ambassador. ¶2. (SBU) The first order of business was an accounting of all official embassy personnel, family members, and TDY visitors in Gabon. All have been accounted for. There are currently four groups of visitors in the country, all are outside of the capital. Two LES are accompanying one group of visitors to the northern city of Bitam and another LES is accompanying group of visitors to Gabon's second largest city, Port Gentil. Visitors are also located in Mayumba, in the southern part of Gabon, and Franceville, President Bongo's hometown in eastern Gabon. ¶3. (SBU) Post has made contact with all groups of visitors. All groups report that the situation is calm and that their work is proceeding normally, though attendance at some training events is lower than expected. Post has advised them to remain in regular contact with their respective Control Officers. Other visitors that are expected to arrive next week have been advised to "standby" until further notice. ¶4. (SBU) The EAC reviewed a Warden Message that was sent out by CA/OCS yesterday evening advising American Citizens to avoid public gatherings and to stockpile emergency provisions. The Consular Officer was given the action to review, and update as necessary, Post's F-77 report. ¶5. (SBU) The EAC also reviewed a list of tripwires that were developed specifically for the death of President Bongo, following his medical evacuation to Spain in early May. These tripwires, a copy of which has been sent via email to the Desk, are divided into three levels. The first item in Level One is the announced death of President Bongo. In response to this tripwire, all USDH personnel are required to carry E&E radios at all times when outside the Embassy, avoid travel outside the main artery that runs between the Chancery and the Sabliere neighborhood, where most embassy personnel live, and curtail all non-essential travel. The EAC decided to implement these actions immediately. ¶6. (SBU) The official 30-day period of morning will end, by our calculations, on July 8. The EAC decided that in addition to canceling all planned representational events during this period, internal embassy celebrations should be postponed or scaled back. An Embassy-wide award ceremony, including a celebratory barbecue, planned for Friday, June 12, has been postponed. It was also decided that the Embassy's official July 4th celebration, planned for July 9, should be scaled back or postponed. A new date has not yet been determined. REDDICK