Guinea detains 16 Sierra Leonean soldiers amid border dispute

Guinea’s military has confirmed the detention of 16 Sierra Leonean soldiers after accusing them of crossing the border and raising their flag on Guinean soil, while Freetown maintains its troops were on its own territory constructing a border post, the latest flare-up in a decades-old territorial dispute.

According to Guinea’s Ministry of National Defense, the soldiers entered the district of Koudaya in the Faranah border region without authorization on Sunday, where they “set up a tent and raised their national flag” approximately 1.4 kilometers inside Guinea .

Their equipment and supplies were seized, and an investigation has been opened .

Sierra Leone offers a starkly different version.

The government says its joint security team was making bricks for a new border post and accommodation facility in Kalieyereh, Falaba district—territory it insists is sovereign Sierra Leonean land—when Guinean forces crossed over and apprehended them .

Their weapons and ammunition were also taken .

A long-standing border feud

The incident stems from a border dispute dating back to Sierra Leone’s 1991-2002 civil war, when Guinea deployed troops to help fight rebels but never fully withdrew .

Tensions have simmered for years, particularly over the diamond-rich Yenga region, which both countries claim .

Diplomatic response

Freetown is engaging through diplomatic channels to secure the “safe and unconditional release” of the detained personnel, including at least one officer .

The government has briefed regional bodies including ECOWAS and the Mano River Union, which have dispatched fact-finding missions .

Meanwhile, Guinea’s army chief has called on defense forces to “remain mobilized for the defense and protection of territorial integrity”