Guinea military takes over Yenga town and built a new demarcation beacon

The Guinean Military has taken over the disputed border town of Yenga and built a new demarcation beacon amidst the declaration of demilitarization by both Sierra Leone and Guinea. 

According to sources, the demarcation tower which is inscribed as “Since 1886”, was installed inside Sierra Leone, just meters away from Yenga towards Pengu Bengu approaching Koindu Town.

In 2012, the two neighbouring countries signed a joint declaration for the demilitarization of Yenga. The joint declaration was exchanged by the Foreign Ministers of both countries during a press conference held at State House, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

According to the joint declaration, the two countries are mindful of Article 58 of the revised Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States relating to regional security which provides that, member states should undertake to work to safeguard and consolidate relations to maintain peace and security within the region and to establish and strengthen appropriate mechanisms for timely prevention and resolution of conflicts.

The dispute of the border town started after Sierra Leone’s civil war in 2002 when Yenga and its environs were occupied by Guinean troops who served among foreign intervention forces in the eleven-year civil war. 

Yenga is a village in Kissi Teng Chiefdom, Kailahun District in the Eastern province of Sierra Leone. The village is known to be the border between Sierra Leone and Guinea.