Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Guinea troops moving deeper into Sierra Leone?

From The Awareness Times

Guinean troops have reportedly crossed several miles into Sierra Leone from the disputed town of Yenga to transact business in Koindu, a trading centre in Kailahun district which borders with both Liberia and our Guinean neighbours. This development according to reports say many residents of Koindu town are venteing out their anger because of the presence of Guinean troops, which they attribute to the complacence of government in speedily resolving the conflict over Yenga, the very populated border village.

However, the problem goes back to the end of the Sierra Leone civil war. From IPS, from July 2004:

Angry Sierra Leoneans are demanding that their government ask Guinea to withdraw its troops from their territory which they occupied five years ago.

Troops from Guinea occupied the eastern border town of Yenga during Sierra Leone's civil war between the rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and government forces.

But, even though the civil war in Sierra Leone has been over for two years now, Guinea has yet to relinquish control of the town - a diplomatic "problem in the making".

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