Sierra Leone’s government announced Tuesday that Guinea’s military has detained multiple members of its security forces, including an officer, after taking them across the international border.
The two West African nations have maintained a contentious border disagreement for over twenty 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 hostilities ended.
In the previous year, Guinea’s army moved into a mineral-rich border community within Sierra Leone, raising alarm among regional observers.
According to Sierra Leone’s official statement, Monday’s confrontation took place in Kalieyereh, a border community in the Falaba district. The detained security personnel, consisting of military and police members, were engaged in “making bricks for the construction of a border post and accommodation facility” when the incident occurred.
Guinea’s forces also confiscated weapons and ammunition from the captured security team, though Sierra Leone’s government did not specify the exact number of personnel taken into Guinea.
“The government is actively engaging through established diplomatic and security channels to confirm their location and secure their safe and unconditional release,” the official statement declared.
Guinea’s government has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the incident.
Sierra Leone emphasized that its national flag flies over the town where Monday’s confrontation happened, and the area is internationally acknowledged as Sierra Leonean territory.
