Sierra Leone, Guinea accuse each other of border incursions

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Sierra Leone and Guinea on Tuesday traded accusations of border incursions, with Freetown saying Guinean soldiers crossed into its northern border and clashed with troops and police who they seized.

On Tuesday afternoon, Sierra Leone's information ministry said the incursion happened on Monday when Guinean troops entered the border town of Kalieyereh, where Sierra Leonean police were deployed.

"At the time of the incident, Sierra Leone's security personnel were engaged in making bricks for the construction of a border post and accommodation facility intended to support security operations in the area," it added.

"The Sierra Leone national flag had been hoisted within territory recognised as belonging to Sierra Leone.

"During the encounter, Guinean Armed Forces personnel apprehended several members of the joint security team, including an officer, and transported them across the border into Guinean territory.

"Their arms and ammunition were also taken."

Conakry responded to the accusations late Tuesday, saying Sierra Leonean troops had carried out an incursion into Guinean territory over the weekend.

"Several dozen armed Sierra Leonean soldiers entered Guinean territory without authorisation" on Sunday, said Guinea's army chief of staff, General Ibrahima Sory Bangoura.

"Once there, the foreign personnel reportedly set up a tent and raised their national flag," his statement said.

The Guinean army was "immediately deployed" to the area and arrested sixteen Sierra Leonean soldiers, it added.

Their equipment and supplies were also seized and an investigation has been opened.

Guinea and Sierra Leone shared a border for hundreds of kilometres.

A dragging border feud flared up last year over Sierra Leone's diamond-rich Yenga region, which is currently occupied by Guinean troops.

The dispute over the 640-kilometre (400-mile) border dates back to colonial times when Britain, which ruled Sierra Leone, and France, which controlled Guinea, demarcated the border in 1912.

The latest incident reflects concerns about tensions along the border, where the movement of people, access to farmland, and local trade have been restricted.

Both countries belong to several regional groupings, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Mano River Union with Ivory Coast and Liberia.