Guinea has deployed a new military contingent to its borders with Liberia and Sierra Leone following recent border incidents with the two neighboring countries.
President Mamadi Doumbouya presided over a ceremony in Conakry on Sunday where he handed the national flag to soldiers of the Guinean Armed Forces before their deployment, according to the Directorate of Information and Public Relations of the Armed Forces.
Tensions with Sierra Leone escalated in late February after Guinean forces detained 16 Sierra Leonean soldiers in the Koudaya district, about 1.4 kilometers inside Guinean territory.
Authorities in Conakry said the soldiers had established a camp and raised their national flag.
However, Freetown disputed the claim, stating that its troops were constructing a border post in Kaleyereh and accused Guinean forces of crossing the demarcation line.
The detained soldiers were later handed over to Sierra Leonean authorities on February 27.
Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Alhaji Timothy Kabba received the soldiers in Conakry, describing diplomacy as the key to resolving the dispute.
A separate dispute has also emerged along the Liberian border. Guinean authorities seized equipment from a Liberian company conducting roadworks in Foya, accusing it of extracting sand from the Makona River in a disputed area without authorization.
The situation intensified after the Liberian flag was reportedly moved from its original position about 800 meters from the river closer to the riverbank.
Guinea’s Minister of Territorial Administration Ibrahima Kalil Condé described the move as an “illegal occupation,” citing the principle of maintaining borders inherited from the colonial era.
A meeting held on March 8 in Guéckédou between Guinean and Liberian delegations helped ease tensions.
Liberia’s Interior Minister Niuma Ley confirmed the flag would be returned to its original location and proposed regular meetings among interior ministers in the sub-region to prevent similar incidents.
During the ceremony, President Doumbouya assured troops that Guinea would defend its territorial integrity, declaring that no part of the country’s territory would be taken.
Authorities stressed that the deployment is defensive in nature, noting that Guinea has no intention of pursuing territorial conquest.
