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.
@ Rtd. Capt. Ken Josiah
