2009 Warden Information
U.S. Embassy Conakry
Warden Message #Two
October 1, 2009
As indicated in the Travel Warning published by the Department of State on Wednesday, September 30th, due to the unpredictable nature of the current security situation in Conakry, non-essential members of the Embassy staff and all dependents have been ordered to depart from Guinea to Dakar. The Department of State has chartered a plane for this purpose. The aircraft is scheduled to arrive mid-morning tomorrow, October 2nd, and depart shortly afterward. Half of the seats on this charter flight are available to private U.S. citizens who also wish to depart from Guinea. However, please note that these seats are not free; if you would like to book a seat on the charter flight, you will be asked to sign a promissory note, and you will be expected to eventually repay the fare. Please also note also that the charter flight is going to Dakar, Senegal, not to the United States. If you choose to go to Dakar, you will be responsible for your own lodging and meals in Dakar, and any onward travel arrangements. Seats on the charter flight will be available to private U.S. citizens on a first-come basis; we ask that you contact the Consular Section of the Embassy at 67-10-4444 to express interest. In addition to the charter flight, there are several commercial flights scheduled over the next several days, though it is impossible to determine in advance whether these flights will arrive and depart as scheduled, or that there will be seats available.
U.S. citizens who choose to remain in Guinea despite the Travel Warning are urged to stay in their homes until the security situation returns to normal, to closely monitor media reports, and to follow all official instructions. U.S. citizens who must leave their homes for any reason are urged to exercise extreme caution, be particularly alert to their surroundings, and to avoid crowds, demonstrations, or any other form of public gathering.
As always, we remind citizens that demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence quickly. The Embassy, therefore, urges U.S. citizens to exercise caution in the vicinity of any protests, and to avoid crowds, political gatherings, and street demonstrations, even if they appear to be peaceful.
If you have questions or concerns about safety or related issues, you are encouraged to contact the consular section at the Embassy. During normal business hours--Monday through Thursday 07:30 to 16:30, Friday 07:30 to 13:30--you can call the Embassy switchboard at 65-10-4000, or, to reach the consular section directly, call 67-10-4444. After hours, please call 67-10-4311. Inquiries or information transmitted by email to the consular section of the Embassy at our new email address mailto:ConsularConakr@state.gov will be read the morning of the next business day.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs internet web site at http://travel.state.gov/, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, and Travel Warnings can be found.
The U.S. Embassy is located on the Transversale No. 2, Centre Administratif de Koloma, opposite the new RPG radio station in Ratoma, Conakry, Guinea. The U.S. Embassy website is http://conakry.usembassy.gov/index.html.