SUMMARY
RFDG (Rassemblement des Forces démocratiques de Guinée; Rally of Democratic Forces of Guinea) was an armed group that launched an insurgency against the Guinean government in 2000.
Several things pertaining to the group remain more or less shrouded in mystery. Some even claim that the RFDG was not an independent group in its own right, but rather a front for the interests of the president of neighboring Liberia, Charles Taylor, and that it consisted of RUF fighters from Sierra Leone and not Guineans. This version became the discourse of the Government of Guinea and President Lansana Conté, which was a long-term adversary to Charles Taylor. However, this was vehemently denied by RFDG spokeperson Mohamed Lamine Fofana, who claimed that the movement was solely made up of Guinean fighters and that they fought to overthrow President Conté. Several Guinean dissident army officers that had mutinied in February 1996, including Commander Gbago Zoumanigui and N’Faly Kaba, alias Fatoulaye, made up the RFDG leadership. The latter, who was also believed to be the same person as spokesperson Fofana, was responsible for the group’s political branch, while Zoumanigui, who had spent time in Liberia after 1996, reportedly together with Charles Taylor, was the military leader. These two came to be reported as the leaders of two additional groups in Guinea with similar names during the early 2000’s, namely the UFGN (Union des Forces pour une Guinée nouvelle) and the UFDG (Union de forces démocratique de Guinée). However, analysts agree that this was merely different names for the same organization, since they claimed the same attacks on government soldiers, in addition to having the same leadership. UCDP use the name RFDG since that was the name used when the group stated its incompatibility against the Government of Guinea.
The RFDG most likely consisted of a mix of fighters from Guinea, [Liberia] (/#/country/450) and [Sierra Leone] (/#/country/451), and it received important backing from both the Government of Liberia and the RUF, RFDG consistently denied any such support, however. Allegedly, RFDG also received support and weapon deliveries from the Burkinabe government. Reports have estimated that the RFDG had between 1800 and 5000 fighters in its ranks. The majority of the violence involving the RFDG was cross-border attacks that took place in the mineral rich areas of the country along the Guinean southern borders with Sierra Leone and [Liberia] (/#/country/450). It is believed that the RFDG tried to gain control over some of the diamond mines in the area in order to fund its insurgency.
RFDG has been involved in the intra-state category of UCDP organized violence.
