A protracted-running border dispute between Sierra Leone and Guinea has flared again, after a defense power incident compelled villagers to wing and reignited diplomatic tensions between the two West African neighbours.
On 28 April, Guinean soldiers fired three shots in the air as they tried to enter the village of Sokoma, near Yenga – a mineral-wealthy settlement that has been contested for more than two decades.
The gunfire introduced on awe in within sight communities and sent residents fleeing south in direction of the metropolis of Koindu.
“We heard three gunshots,” native resident Daniel Makundu informed RFI. “People got scared and fled towards Koindu. The next day, the Guinean military prevented any return to Yenga.”
Though collected has returned, native authorities issue the pain on the bottom remains unstable.
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Legacy of battle
The dispute over Yenga dates inspire to the Nineteen Nineties, during Sierra Leone’s civil battle.
At the time, the authorities in Freetown invited Guinean troops to wait on gain the eastern border. Guinean forces moved into the distance but did no longer fully withdraw after the battle ended.
Their continued presence has introduced about repeated standoffs and failed diplomatic efforts.
“Every time we engage in dialogue at the highest level, they agree to leave,” Sierra Leone’s international minister, Timothy Kabba, mentioned.
“But once the diplomats return to their capitals, they come back. But this time, we are [applying] maximum pressure. They must understand that Yenga belongs to Sierra Leone and we will protect our borders.”
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Freetown has warned it is going to escalate the subject to the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the African Union or the International Court of Justice if Guinean forces enact no longer withdraw.
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Impact on locals
Whereas the two governments maintain in mind their subsequent strikes, civilians are left to handle the outcomes. Makundu, who historical to farm the wetlands near Yenga, mentioned the lack of fetch entry to to his land has left him with nothing.
“I lived off the land, off my swamps,” he informed RFI. “Now I’ve lost everything. It’s very, very discouraging. I call on the government to settle this once and for all.”
In response to the incursion, Sierra Leonean authorities deployed a security cordon spherical Sokoma and delivered inspire to displaced families. However villagers issue that with out a lasting agreement, the possibility of latest clashes remains excessive.
