Conakry, Guinea - Guinea released 16 security personnel from neighbouring Sierra Leone on Friday, two officials said, an action that could ease the immediate tensions in a recurring border dispute.
The officials, who requested anonymity because the two governments had not issued formal statements, said the release followed discussions in Conakry between Timothy Musa Kabba, Sierra Leone's foreign minister, and Amadou Oury Bah, Guinea's prime minister. The talks are reported to have taken place in the Guinean capital.
Neither Sierra Leone's information minister nor a spokesperson for Guinea's government immediately replied to requests for comment, according to the officials. The lack of public statements from either side leaves some details about the agreement and the condition of those released unclear.
The detentions were first disclosed on Tuesday when Sierra Leone accused Guinea of apprehending several members of its security forces. Sierra Leone's information ministry said that army and police personnel had been building a border post and an additional facility in Kaliyereh, a frontier town on the Sierra Leone side, when members of Guinea's armed forces arrived.
Guinea presented a different account, saying that several dozen Sierra Leonean armed soldiers had entered Guinean territory without authorization. In response, Guinea's armed forces detained 16 of the Sierra Leonean personnel and took possession of equipment.
The two officials who discussed the release noted the historical basis of the dispute, tracing its origins to Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war when Guinea sent troops to help combat rebels. The report underscored that the territorial disagreement predates the recent incident and remains unresolved.
At present, the public record is limited to the officials' accounts: the release of the detainees after ministerial-level discussions, the mutually conflicting narratives about where the personnel were located when detained, and the seizure of equipment by Guinean forces. With both governments silent in public channels, the precise terms surrounding the release and any follow-up arrangements have not been made available.
Summary
Guinea freed 16 Sierra Leonean security personnel after high-level meetings in Conakry, following rival claims that the Sierra Leoneans had been either constructing facilities on their side of the border or had entered Guinea without authorization. The border dispute stems from actions during Sierra Leone's civil war and remains unresolved.