CONAKRY/FREETOWN, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Tensions have emerged along the border between Guinea and Sierra Leone following the detention of 16 Sierra Leonean security personnel by Guinean forces, according to official statements released on Tuesday by both nations.
The General Staff of the Guinean Armed Forces of Guinea on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of 16 Sierra Leonean soldiers at the border region with Sierra Leone.
The soldiers were apprehended on Sunday after entering Guinean territory in the district of Koudaya, Faranah Prefecture, the statement said, adding that they were about 1.4 km inside Guinean territory without prior authorization.
"They set up their tents and raised their national flag," said Ansoumane Toumany Camara, director of information and public relations of the Armed Forces and spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense. Guinean forces deployed to the site captured the 16 personnel and their equipment, handing them over to the judicial police for investigation.
Contrary to Guinea's statement, Sierra Leone's Ministry of Information and Civic Education said Tuesday that Guinean forces crossed into the Sierra Leonean border town of Kalieyereh in Falaba District on Monday.
The Sierra Leonean government said its personnel were making bricks for a new border post within recognized Sierra Leonean territory when they were apprehended. "The Sierra Leone national flag had been hoisted within territory recognized as belonging to Sierra Leone," the statement said.
Freetown confirmed that several members of a joint security team, including an officer, were transported into Guinea along with their arms, noting that it is engaging through diplomatic and security channels to secure the "safe and unconditional release" of its personnel and has dispatched a fact-finding mission to the area.
The border dispute between Sierra Leone and Guinea dates back to unclear boundaries drawn by Britain and France during the colonial period. After independence, the lack of precisely demarcated borders and the presence of shared communities along the frontier led to recurring tensions. The issue has persisted at a low level, with occasional incidents, although regional organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States have at times stepped in to mediate. ■
