Guinea detains 16 Sierra Leonean troops amid mutual claims of border violations

ISTANBUL

Guinea detained 16 Sierra Leonean soldiers on Sunday after they crossed into its territory “without authorization,” while both countries accused each other of violating the shared border, according to statements released late Tuesday.

The Guinean army said Sierra Leonean soldiers entered its territory near Koudaya in Faranah prefecture, set up a tent and raised their flag.

The troops were subsequently apprehended, their equipment seized, and handed over to the judicial police for investigation.

The Guinean army’s statement came shortly after Sierra Leone’s Information Ministry accused Guinean troops of crossing into the border town of Kalieyereh in Falaba District, where Sierra Leonean forces and police were stationed on Monday.

It said Sierra Leonean forces were building a border post and housing for security operations when the national flag was raised “within territory recognized as belonging to Sierra Leone.”

The ministry confirmed that during the encounter, Guinean forces apprehended several members of the joint Sierra Leonean security team, including an officer, and took them across the border along with their arms and ammunition.

It said the government is actively working through diplomatic and security channels to confirm their location and secure their “safe and unconditional release,” and has informed national, regional and sub-regional authorities to ensure a “peaceful and amicable resolution.”

A fact-finding mission was also dispatched to the area to clarify the sequence of events.