In 1990, we pointed out to the government the risks of training Ulimo troops in Guinea, or more precisely, in Kankan, a town about 800 kilometres from Conakry. The army might take advantage of the situation to stage a coup, as it has done before. Volunteers, who have received guns but have never been paid, could revolt. Or Ulimo could make problems for us if we try to get rid of them now. Disorder in Guinea could have repercussions for the entire subregion.
Guinea is surrounded by countries which have suffered internal rebellions and military take-overs.
Senegal, which borders Guinea on the north, continues to have difficulties maintaining its southern border, which is controlled by rebel separatists from the southern Casamance region. Neighbouring Guinea-Bissau had its rebellion in 1998, which saw stiff opposition from both the Guinean and Senegalese armies. The rebellion ultimately failed. And although the leader of that revolt, Guinea-Bissau Brigadier General Ansumane Mane has died, the country has not quite recovered from the attempt. Mane's partisans continue to represent a threat to the Guinean president, who provided assistance to Guinea-Bissau's former president Nino Vieira when he was under attack.