GUINEA’S PERSISTENT BULLYING OF SIERRA LEONE ON THE YENGA BORDER SHOULD ELICIT A RETHINK OF OUR PRIORITIES AND PREROGATIVES
By KABS KANU
I love the articles written on the Yenga issue by Retired Lt. Ken Josiah and Sierra Leonean-born diplomat working with the UN in the Congo and I am going to preface them in my opinion on the border dispute between Sierra Leone and Guinea that has often been provoked now and again by Guinea.
1. First of all, it should be clear to all by now that Guinea has adopted a CRY-BABY attitude over Yenga. Though it is a known fact from African History and the geographical studies of the Mano River basin that Yenga belongs to Sierra Leone , Guinea appears to be adopting an aggressive policy of always using Yenga to articulate their dissatisfaction with Sierra Leone. And whenever they encroach on Yenga, we appease them by crawling under their feet in the name of diplomatic imperatives to coax them to leave.
From my observation, unless the issue of Yenga is resolved diplomatically or through other options and prerogatives, the problem will always resurface like a sore thumb . Whenever the baby cries and he is given a pacifier , he keeps quiet , but only for a while. After some time, the baby will cry again and it will need another form of pacifier. We cannot go on like that. Today, Guinea has renewed their aggression because President Alpha Conde is unhappy with perceived roles played by the present government during his acrimonious power struggles with opposition leader, Cellou Diallo, which culminated in a violent and controversial elections that Professor Conde was accused of rigging.
To my mind, since this will be a recurring problem depending on geopolitical issues that may arise between the two countries or the state of goodwill between the presidents of both nations, I think the best option we have now is international arbitration. The Mano River Union , ECOWAS , AU and possibly the UN need to intervene decisively and resolve for once who owns Yenga.
2. Despite our political differences in Sierra Leone, we need to adopt an open mind on this issue, forgetting all partisan, tribal and regional sentiments——And in this respect, I want to postulate that Sierra Leone has done a great job in the past to exercise restraint while seeking bilateral prerogatives. Both the late President Ahmad Tejan Kabba of the SLPP and the just-retired President Ernest Bai Koroma did a marvelous job in the past to negotiate the Yenga issue from a diplomatic and family perspective. taking in mind the traditional family and cultural affinities between the two nations. Sierra Leone, through these two leaders, has bent over backwards to remind Guinea that the two countries have treasured relations that must not be fractured by dispute over a small parcel of land like Yenga. It seemed like their bilateral approach worked as Guinea found sense to withdraw completely from Yenga.
3 It is probably based on the facts above that President Maada Bio decided to bypass bilateral imperatives and invite a multilateral diplomatic option when Guinea forgot past commitments and invaded Yenga once again. Opinions will vary whether it was the right approach adopted by President Bio, but in all frankness, what else must he have done ? By now, Guinea should have been working with Sierra Leone to build upon previous bilateral agreements on Yenga. They should not have been seen invading the country all over again. Though I am not a fan of President Bio, I want to make bold to say here that he was not amiss in the diplomatic option he has decided upon—to go multilateral. Let ECOWAS arbitrate on this Yenga issue for once, though many more people would think that he should involve the Mano River Union too. But even this had been done before. It was one of the agenda items during the 22nd summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Mano River Union (MRU), which took place yesterday 1 May 2013, in Liberia, attended by President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone; Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire; Alpha Condé of Guinea; and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia. A communique signed by the leaders at the end of the summit read :“The Heads of State commended Prof. Alhaji Alpha CONDE, President of the Republic of Guinea, for his will, courage and maturity in resolving the Yenga issue…”
4. The last resort—THE MILITARY OPTION—is definitely inconceivable and out of the question at the moment because of the ancient fraternal and sisterly relations between Sierra Leone and Guinea. Families live on both sides of the borders, divided only by artificial boundaries and nobody can ever see blood being shed by both countries for any reason. We have to protect the lives and properties of our people in Sierra Leone and Guinea.
5. When that has been said, I am sure that any right-thinking Sierra Leonean would agree with me that it is high time that Sierra Leone ceased to be the punchbag of countries in the Mano River Union. Idrissa Salaam Conteh rightly put the issue in a more painfully truthful perspective when he writes :” In effect, Sierra Leone is the weakest of the Mano River Union states which both Liberia and Guinea capitalize on to bully the country. Liberia, under the leadership of Charles Taylor, took advantage of the fragility of Sierra Leone and waged an unprovoked war that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people in cold blood. Liberia was never asked to pay reparations to Sierra Leone for the massive damage it cause in the country. “
In my mind, the only way Sierra Leone can bring to an end the tendency of being bullied is to build a very strong, fully-equipped and battle-ready army with an air force and navy to boot. Let us face it, the crazy and unpredictable world we live in today makes it an imperative to add a very robust military to diplomatic options. We know that regional organizations like the MRU. ECOWAS AU and the international umbrella organization, the UN stress peaceful coexistence among nations and peaceful resolution of conflicts , but in today’s world of dysfunctional geopolitical realities, rivalries, suspicions and hostilities, no nation can feel a sense of doing itself and its citizens a favor by continuing to have a weak army. Very strong militaries across borders serve as a deterrent to bullying and violations of the territorial rights and integrity of other countries.
Rwanda is a smaller nation, that could be virtually swallowed up ten times by the larger Democratic Republic of the Congo but successive Congolese presidents know the strength of the Rwandan military forces, without which they could have annexed much of Rwandan territory. This is where the question of strong or weak military comes into the equation.
SEE ARTICLES BY LT. KEN JOSIAH AND IDRISSA SALAAM CONTEH
Yenga is Sierra Leone
Behind the veil of closed doors, the sovereignty of Sierra Leone is been openly challenged by Guineans. Diplomacy is perhaps the current tool of choice to resolve the age old Yenga occupation, but it may not be a lasting solution.
President Bio addressed the issue recently during the ECOWAS meeting of heads of state. What ever gave rise to the recent occupation by Guinean forces is no longer tenable as a sovereign claim. It’s theft. Pure and simple. It’s time to finally put an end to the subjugation of our fellow
Sierra Leoneans along the border once and for all.
Guinean troops entered Yenga more than a decade ago, to help the Sierra Leonean army fight rebels.They refused to hand the town back to the Sierra Leonean government after defeating the uprising.
For the longest time, Guinean authorities have provoked the patience of our leaders over the sovereign claim of Sierra Leone to what is rightfully her national boundaries.
Yenga is located on a hill above the south side of the confluence of the Mafissia River and the Moa River, where that river forms the border between the two countries
The area is inhabited by our Kissi tribes who call Sierra Leone home. In July 2012, Sierra Leone and Guinea declared the demilitarization of the Yenga. I am no fan of armed conflict, nor a stranger to one. I am privy to the combat capabilities of Guinean troops in Neama Jawi and Daru and I remain unimpressed.
I am calling on government to demonstrate a show of force and deploy the best of our seasoned battle tested forces on the ground immediately. This pendulum of Guinean troop occupation and negotiations back and forth over what is rightfully our sovereign right needs to be challenged head on. Enough is enough.
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The Guinean Aggression on Yenga
The reported aggression of neighbouring Guinea on Yenga in Kailahun district in eastern Sierra Leone is a blatant violation of Sierra Leone’s territorial integrity, and should be condemned by all Sierra Leoneans irrespective of our stone age tribal and partisan divisions.
In effect, Sierra Leone is the weakest of the Mano River Union States which both Liberia and Guinea capitalise on to bully the country. Liberia, under the leadership of Charles Taylor, took advantage of the fragility of Sierra Leone and waged an unprovoked war that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people in cold blood.
Liberia was never asked to pay reparations to Sierra Leone for the massive destructions it caused in the country.
Guinea has long eyed Yenga which it occupied for over ten years, and we had to kneel down to implore them to see reason to retreat. Now they are back in full force.
Guinea has something up its sleeves. It had accused Sierra Leone of supporting Sellou Dallan Diallo during the electoral campaigns, an accusation Sierra Leone denied.
Now, Guinea wants to punish Sierra Leone by unleashing an aggression through Yenga. The Government of Sierra Leone has an obligation to step up security to ensure our territorial sovereignty.
North Korea was repeatedly invaded by different countries before and during World War II, and decided to take their security to another level. Today, nobody can dare provoke North Korea. In fact, when North Korea sneezes, South Korea, Japan and USA all catch cold together.
Unfortunately, we Sierra Leoneans are too corrupt and too shallow minded to strengthen our security with modern defence systems. The Guineans know that our marine and air force exist only on paper. They know the capacity of our infantry which they saw in action throughout the decade long civil war.
This is the tragic story of Sierra Leone where the former Army Chief of Defence staff, Lt. Gen. SO Williams was shot dead a day after testifying in parliament about the usurpation of the military budget by politicians.
This is the level of destruction caused by corruption to Sierra Leone that cannot defend itself from Guinean and Liberian attacks.
What we must not forget is that, the Guinean aggressors will not distinguish between APC and SLPP supporters. They will not differentiate between Mendeline and Temneline. If the situation is allowed to unfold, it will destabilise the whole country. This was how the rebel war started in Bomaru on 21 March 1991 and later spread across the country.
The partisan and tribal animosity being disseminated will give further strength to the enemy. We can neither run to Guinea nor to Liberia.
ANOTHER COMMENT ON YENGA
Thank you Mr. President for giving your attention to this existential issue for our people. The annexation of Yenga by Guinea is a brazen encroachment on our land and a violation of international law. It threatens the peace and stability of the MRU and ECOWAS region. It amounts to a declaration of war on our country, and it should treated as such.
Sierra Leone and Sierra Leoneans are peaceful people, in spite of our internal political rancor. We have always lived in peace with our neighbors, we have always been welcoming to outsiders in the spirit of PanAfricanism. From Lebanon to Syria to the Caribbean to the oppressed countries of Africa, we have always opened our homes and given succor to those who were oppressed by their own governments.
We appreciate the military assistance Guinea accorded our country during the civil war. But we must be unequivocally clear that Guinea’s annexation of our land at Yenga is unAfrican and unneighborly, it amounts to unnecessary provocation. They must retreat beyond the Moa River, the internationally recognized border between our two countries. Nothing less than that is acceptable.
In addition to the diplomatic leverages at your disposal, Mr. President, we the sons and daughters of Kailahun District will complement your efforts by leveraging the tools of public opinion and public awareness to sensitize the international community on Guinea’s violation of our sovereignty and its encroachment on the dignity of our people.
On behalf of the peaceful people of Kailahun District, I thank you again for your quick action to resolve this issue. I assure you that we will continue to agitate until the last Guinean soldier leaves our land.
Thank you.
AKV
