Guinea Releases Sierra Leonean Officers in Effort to Ease Border Tensions

Guinea has released 16 Sierra Leonean soldiers and police officers arrested in a disputed border area, in a move to ease tensions between the two countries. Sierra Leone says the officers were building a border post within its territory, while Guinea claims they crossed into its land without authorisation. Both sides have pledged to resolve the long-standing border dispute through diplomatic means.

In a move aimed at easing mounting tensions along their shared frontier, Sierra Leone announced on Friday that neighbouring Guinea had released 16 of its soldiers and police officers who were arrested earlier in the week. The release followed several days of diplomatic exchanges between officials from both countries after the personnel were detained on Tuesday in a disputed border area.
Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Information confirmed the development in a statement posted on social media, saying all security officers arrested by Guinean authorities had been safely handed back to Sierra Leonean officials. The government described the handover as peaceful and orderly, emphasising that diplomatic channels had remained open throughout the episode. Officials in Freetown sought to reassure citizens that the matter had been handled through dialogue rather than confrontation, underscoring the importance of preserving stability between the two neighbours.
According to Sierra Leonean authorities, the detained officers had been engaged in the construction of a border post and an additional facility at the frontier town of Kaliyereh when Guinean armed forces reportedly entered the area and apprehended them. Freetown maintains that the construction work was being carried out within its sovereign territory and that the presence of its personnel there was lawful and authorised. The government further indicated that the infrastructure project was part of broader efforts to strengthen border management and security coordination in the region.
Guinea, however, offered a contrasting account of the incident. Officials in Conakry said that several dozen armed Sierra Leonean security personnel had crossed into Guinean territory without prior notice or authorisation. According to Guinea’s version, its security forces intervened after identifying what they considered an incursion, leading to the arrest of the Sierra Leonean officers. The Guinean government framed its actions as a legitimate response aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Guinea’s Prime Minister, Amadou Oury Bah, stated on Thursday that the dispute would be resolved swiftly through diplomatic engagement. His remarks signalled a commitment to dialogue and suggested that both governments were keen to prevent the situation from escalating into a broader confrontation. Observers noted that the relatively quick release of the detained personnel reflected a mutual desire to de-escalate and avoid damaging bilateral relations.
The two countries share a border stretching approximately 700 kilometres, much of it running through remote and densely forested terrain that can be difficult to monitor. Territorial disagreements between them date back decades and were further complicated during Sierra Leone’s civil war, which lasted more than ten years before ending in 2002. During that conflict, Guinea deployed troops to assist Sierra Leone in its fight against rebel groups, forging a security partnership that has endured despite intermittent border tensions.
The latest incident occurred in an area that has remained contested for more than 20 years. Sierra Leone claims the territory as its own, while Guinea continues to maintain a military presence there, contributing to periodic misunderstandings and disputes. Although the boundary has been the subject of past negotiations, certain segments remain sensitive, particularly where administrative demarcations are unclear or where local communities straddle both sides.
Both countries are members of several regional organisations, including the Economic Community of West African States and the Mano River Union, alongside Liberia and Ivory Coast. These regional bodies are often regarded as important mechanisms for mediation and conflict resolution among member states. Analysts suggest that their shared participation in these groupings provides an institutional framework that encourages dialogue and cooperative problem-solving when disputes arise.
The swift diplomatic handling of the arrests, culminating in the release of the detained officers, has been viewed as a positive sign that both Sierra Leone and Guinea are committed to managing their longstanding border issues through peaceful means rather than escalation.