By 1990, inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall, a pro-democracy movement became very active. In May 1990, a letter signed by 253 prominent citizens asked for the convocation of a National Conference. Kolingba refused this request and instead detained several opponents. Pressure from a group of locally represented countries and agencies called GIBAFOR ("Groupe informel des bailleurs de fonds et representants residents") as well as the United States and France, finally led Kolingba to agree, in principle, to hold free elections in October 1992.