Military officials in Guinea have announced they are holding 16 soldiers from Sierra Leone, claiming the troops illegally entered their territory and erected the Sierra Leonean flag on Guinean land.
This latest incident adds to border tensions that have persisted between these neighboring West African nations for more than 20 years, dating back to Sierra Leone’s civil conflict from 1991 to 2002. During that war, Sierra Leone requested Guinea’s military assistance to protect its eastern frontier, but Guinean forces never fully departed when the fighting ended.
According to a statement released late Tuesday by Guinea’s Ministry of National Defense, the Sierra Leonean troops entered the Koudaya district in Faranah, a border area, without proper authorization. Officials said the soldiers “set up a tent and raised their national flag” in the disputed territory. Guinea’s military also confiscated the soldiers’ gear and provisions.
Sierra Leone’s government reported earlier on Tuesday that multiple members of a security team, including one officer, were taken into custody on Monday while constructing bricks for a border checkpoint in Kalieyereh, located in Falaba district.
Tensions between the countries flared again last year when Guinea’s military forces moved into a mineral-rich border community claimed by Sierra Leone.
