TALKING POINTS FOR AMB. REDDICK'S MEETING WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 000414

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2020
TAGS: PREL PHUM PINS LY SG GV GB MO
SUBJECT: TALKING POINTS FOR AMB. REDDICK'S MEETING WITH
PRES. BONGO: SEEKING SHELTER FOR DADIS CAMARA

Classified By: AF PDAS Don Yamamoto for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 3.


2. (SBU) Background: Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, leader of
Guinea's ruling junta, the National Council for Democracy and
Development (CNDD),has reneged on promises to hold elections
in 2009 and worsened the misrule that has characterized
Guinea since its independence from France in 1958. Tensions
in Guinea came to a head on September 28 when thousands of
peaceful demonstrators gathered inside a Conakry stadium and
were attacked by Guinean security forces. According to both
Human Rights Watch and the UN's Commission of Inquiry (CoI),
over 150 people were killed, more than 1,500 wounded and over
one hundred women raped by Guinean security forces. On
December 3, the commander of Guinean security forces at the
stadium, concerned that Captain Camara would seek to assuage
international outrage by offering him up as a scapegoat, shot
Captain Camara in the head. Camara was medevacced to Morocco
where he remains to date.


3. (C) Camara's return could lead to bloody retaliation
against his real and imagined enemies and/or infighting
between elements of Guinea's ethnically factionalized
military. Such a conflict could spill over Guinea's borders
and destabilize Guinea's neighbors, some of which are still
recovering from their own civil wars. CNDD acting junta
leader and Defense Minister Sekouba Konate is currently in
Rabat where he has reportedly met with Camara and determined
that Camara's wounds make him incapable of resuming power.
The Moroccan government has invited A/S Carson and his French
counterpart to Rabat for January 4 discussions on next steps
- a meeting with Konate may also take place. Our goal is to
convince the Moroccans to hold Camara until a third country
agrees to take him. We are reaching out to Libya and Senegal
and also want to approach Gabon to see whether they are
amenable to hosting Camara.


4. (SBU) Action Requested: Following are talking points to
be used with President Bongo:

-- Captain Moussa Dadis Camara is the head of an illegitimate
regime that took power in a coup condemned by the African
Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS),among others. Early promises to hold elections
have been broken.

-- In an egregious violation of human rights, the junta dealt
with a peaceful demonstration on September 28 by massacring
over 150 people, wounding over 1,500 more and raping more
than a hundred women. This brutal and unprovoked assault has
threatened the stability of Guinea and the region.

-- The UN's Commission of Inquiry into the atrocities of
September 28 and their aftermath firmly placed the blame for
them on Captain Camara and some of his subordinates.

-- If Captain Camara were to return to Guinea he would likely
initiate a crackdown against real and imagined enemies,
possibly sparking a conflict with other factions in the
military and/or a civil war with ethnic overtones. Such a
conflict could spill over Guinea's borders and destabilize
Guinea's neighbors, some of which are still recovering from
their own civil wars.

-- Gabon may be the best option for Camara's next temporary
shelter as Guinea's immediate neighbors have political
concerns linked to their geographic proximity, and Morocco is
reluctant to further extend its hospitality.

-- To prevent further instability and bloodshed and create
the circumstances to facilitate a democratic transition in
Guinea, our goal is for Camara to remain outside Guinea in a
place where he can receive adequate medical care. We are
investigating the logistics that would be required for
transport and follow-on medical treatment.

-- Would Gabon be willing to temporarily host Dadis Camara
until the international community determines next steps?
Agreement would be a testament to Gabon's willingness to
contribute tangibly to significant matters of African
regional security.
CLINTON