By: Aminata Sesay
In a move reflecting its growing role as the guarantor of regional peace and stability, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) dispatched a high-level fact-finding delegation to Sierra Leone’s Eastern border on 29 August 2025. The mission, aimed at de-escalating the decades-old Yenga border dispute between Sierra Leone and Guinea, is seen as a critical step in restoring trust and dialogue between the two neighbors and reaffirming ECOWAS’s mandate for conflict prevention.
Led by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. Morie Lengor, and supported by representatives from key national and regional institutions—including the Mano River Union (MRU), the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), and the Sierra Leone Police the delegation travelled to Kailahun District, where the contested village of Yenga lies at a sensitive junction between the Makona and Mafissia Rivers.
Though small in size, Yenga’s geopolitical importance cannot be overstated. Sitting atop a strategic hill near the confluence of three West African nations—Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia the village has long been a flashpoint of diplomatic friction. Despite multiple treaties recognizing Sierra Leone’s sovereignty over Yenga, including formal agreements in 2002 and 2005, Guinean military forces have continued their occupation, displacing local populations and sparking regional concern.
Speaking in Koindu, Hon. Lengor reiterated Sierra Leone’s preference for peaceful negotiation: “This mission is not about provocation. It is a demonstration of our commitment to resolve this dispute through regional diplomacy. The presence of ECOWAS underscores that this is no longer just a bilateral issue it is a regional concern.”
ECOWAS’s presence was further reinforced by the participation of Mr. H.C. Mohamadou Njie, representing the ECOWAS Ambassadors in Abuja. Njie confirmed that while Sierra Leone had fully engaged with the mission, Guinea had requested more time, indicating potential hesitance or internal deliberations on the matter.
“This mission is structured to be balanced and consultative,” Njie emphasized. “We’re proceeding with Sierra Leone now, but we remain ready to engage Guinea once conditions allow.”
The fact-finding mission included consultations with displaced community members, traditional leaders, and local representatives in Koindu and surrounding areas. Paramount Chief PC Ganawa and Hon. Ing. Fallah Tengbeh, MP for the region, provided firsthand accounts of the humanitarian and social impacts of the dispute.
“Guinean soldiers have planted illegal beacons and refuse to withdraw, despite prior agreements,” said Tengbeh. “This has created fear and displacement in communities that have centuries of shared ancestry and intermarriage across the border.”
The MP also decried the lack of sustained humanitarian aid, despite one-time food support in April, emphasizing the urgency for both resolution and relief.
From a military standpoint, Brig. Gen. George M. Bangura of the RSLAF East Command described stalled communications with Guinean counterparts and restricted access to the disputed area, further complicating ground-level confidence-building efforts.
“My counterpart in Guinea indicated willingness at first, but later cited the need for higher-level clearance. This shifting posture blocks even basic engagement,” he noted.
The MRU, a sub-regional body with historic roots in cross-border cooperation among Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire, echoed calls for renewed intergovernmental dialogue. Mrs. Ange M.C. Konan Munu, representing the MRU Peace and Security Directorate, proposed resuming annual MRU summits—once instrumental in easing regional tensions.
“Whether through MRU or ECOWAS, the shared goal is peace, unity, and the security of our people. These border communities are one family divided by colonial-era lines,” she remarked.
The Yenga dispute falls squarely within the priorities outlined by Sierra Leone’s President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio, who currently serves as Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government. His four-point regional agenda includes restoring constitutional order, boosting regional security collaboration, unlocking trade and economic integration, and strengthening institutional legitimacy within ECOWAS.
The fact-finding mission both symbolic and substantive reinforces these priorities. It also serves as a litmus test for ECOWAS’s ability to address localized territorial disputes that risk undermining broader stability.
The next steps, ECOWAS officials say, will involve deeper bilateral engagements, ideally culminating in a joint technical commission involving both Sierra Leonean and Guinean authorities. For now, the focus remains on diplomacy, humanitarian assistance, and preventing escalation.
“The geographical area may be small just a few hundred meters but the consequences of continued military occupation and political inaction are much larger,” Hon. Lengor warned. “We must choose diplomacy over division.”
