A honourable member of the ECOWAS Parliament has urged Guinea to return the disputed town of Yenga to Sierra Leone. The town, situated in the eastern district of Kailahun, has been a contentious issue between the two nations for over two decades.
Saa Emerson Lamina, an MP and Deputy House Majority Leader in the Sierra Leone Parliament, made this appeal during the Guinean Delegation’s Country Report presentation at the ECOWAS Parliament plenary session on Tuesday, July 9. Lamina invoked Article 40 of the “Supplementary Act Relating to the Enhancement of the Powers of the ECOWAS Parliament,” which addresses “External Relations and Parliamentary Diplomacy.” He called on the Guinean delegation to persuade their government to “completely restitute territorial ownership of Yenga to the government and people of Sierra Leone.”
Lamina emphasized that Yenga and the nearby Makona River, a natural boundary between the two countries, have always been part of Sierra Leonean territory. He stressed that Guinea, as a sovereign state respecting international law, should allow Sierra Leone to exercise sovereignty over the river and Yenga, as established by the colonial powers Britain and France. “Our people in that part of our country have had a century-long traditional relationship with the Makona River, relying on it for irrigation, farming, fishing, and transportation to family members in Guinea,” Lamina stated.
Since the end of Sierra Leone’s civil war in 2002, Guinean soldiers initially deployed for security purposes have reportedly harassed and violated the fundamental rights of Sierra Leoneans. Yenga was undisputedly part of Sierra Leone until the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel war in 1991, which led to Guinea sending troops to support the Sierra Leonean army and deploying troops in Yenga. After the war ended in 2002, Guinea claimed the town and the river, and residents reported harassment by Guinean troops who prevented them from farming on the rich arable land.
Diplomatic efforts by former presidents Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and Ernest Bai Koroma led to the demilitarization of the area, with Guinean troops withdrawing their armored tanks. However, recent reports indicate renewed Guinean troop deployment in Yenga. The situation remains unresolved, with both countries yet to reach a lasting agreement on the status of Yenga.
