Guinea Confirms Detention of 16 Sierra Leonean Soldiers Over Border Incident

Guinea’s military authorities have confirmed the detention of 16 soldiers from neighbouring Sierra Leone, accusing them of illegally crossing the border and raising their national flag on Guinean territory.

In a statement issued late Tuesday, Guinea’s Ministry of National Defense said the soldiers entered the Koudaya district in Faranah, a border region in Guinea, without authorisation. The ministry said the troops “set up a tent and raised their national flag” on Guinean soil, prompting their detention, along with the seizure of their equipment and supplies.

The incident comes against the backdrop of a long-running border dispute between the two West African neighbours, which dates back more than two decades to the Sierra Leone Civil War. During the conflict, Sierra Leone invited Guinean forces to help secure its eastern borders, but tensions persisted after Guinean troops did not fully withdraw following the war.

Earlier on Tuesday, Sierra Leonean authorities said several members of a security unit, including an officer, had been apprehended while making bricks for a border post in Kalieyereh, in the Falaba district, on Monday.

Relations between the two countries have remained fragile. Last year, Guinean troops reportedly entered a mineral-rich border town in Sierra Leone, an incident that reignited tensions and raised fresh concerns over territorial security and border management.

Both governments have yet to announce diplomatic measures to resolve the latest standoff, as investigations into the incident continue.