Sierra Leone Guinea border dispute: Security team detained near Kalieyereh in Falaba district

Sierra Leone says members of Guinea’s military apprehended and took several security personnel across the border from Kalieyereh in Falaba district, seizing their weapons and ammunition. The incident follows a long-running Sierra Leone–Guinea border dispute linked to the post-war presence of Guinean troops and renewed tensions in a mineral-rich frontier area.

Sierra Leone’s government said several members of a security team were detained on Monday. The group included an officer. Sierra Leone said Guinean soldiers arrested the team and took them across the border. The government also said the team’s weapons and ammunition were seized during the incident.

The incident took place in Kalieyereh, a border town in Falaba district, Sierra Leone said. The government said armed forces and police were making bricks there. The bricks were for a border post and staff housing. Sierra Leone said its national flag was raised in the town.

Sierra Leone border dispute with Guinea

Sierra Leone said the area where the arrests occurred is recognised as Sierra Leonean territory. The government statement did not give an exact number of people taken into Guinea. Guinean authorities did not immediately respond publicly. The episode added to long-running tensions along the frontier.

For more than two decades, Sierra Leone and Guinea have argued over their border. The disagreement traces back to Sierra Leone’s civil war from 1991 to 2002. During that conflict, Sierra Leone invited Guinea to support defence of the eastern border. Sierra Leone said Guinean troops did not fully leave after the war.

Guinea military activity and Sierra Leone border dispute

Regional concerns grew again last year, after Sierra Leone said Guinean forces entered a mineral-rich border town. Sierra Leone linked that earlier move to the wider dispute. The government has now said the latest detentions followed similar pressure at the frontier. Officials gave no further operational details about the Monday encounter.

"The government is actively engaging through established diplomatic and security channels to confirm their location and secure their safe and unconditional release,\" the statement said. Sierra Leone said efforts were under way to locate the detained personnel. The government did not say when it expected the talks to produce results.

With inputs from PTI