-Amid security concerns at the Liberia-Guinea border
By Othello B. Garblah
Military authorities in neighboring Guinea have dispelled fears of rising military tension at their border with Liberia.
Monrovia, November 20, 2024/ Guinea’s military spokesperson, Toumany Sangaré, told the New Dawn through a local journalist on Tuesday, November 19, that there are no ongoing military hostilities at its borders with Liberia.
The head of the Guinean Army Information and Public Relations Department (DIRPA) said there had been no incident at the border in recent days that indicates ongoing military hostility.
“None at all! There have been no incidents. On the contrary, the commander of the barracks has just completed a tour of the Guinean borders. During these visits, they maintain contact with Liberian and Sierra Leonean officials. The authorities communicate with each other, and there are no issues,” Sangaré said.
His response comes amid reports of a Guinean Border Patrol team entering a Liberian border town and taking down the Liberian flag in an act of provocation.
Recent images of Liberian soldiers at the Liberian border town of Sefudu in Lofa County, following said report and reports that Guinean Border Patrol officers have been intimidating Liberians in the area, have raised security concerns at the fragile border.
Sangare, a civilian appointed by Guinea Junta leader Col Mamady Doumbouya by decree, told the New Dawn through the local correspondent with Guinee 160.com that it was not possible for Guinean soldiers to engage in such provocations.
“No, that is not true. How could we possibly go into Liberian territory and lower their flag? Ask him to provide you with the actual, true version of events. The Guinean army is not an army of conquest. Its mission is to safeguard the national territory,” he told our colleague in response to questions posed by the New Dawn.
Authorities at the Liberian Ministry of National Defense have yet to comment on the ongoing situation at the Liberian border with Guinea. A Defense Ministry spokesperson told the New Dawn that the military will issue an official statement on Wednesday, November 20.
Last week, the Liberia Government announced the suspected ongoing recruitment of Ex-fighters for subversive activities in neighboring Guinea.
The government says its revelation is based on intelligence provided by Guinean authorities and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).
Liberia’s Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah disclosed at a press conference in Monrovia on Tuesday, November 12, 2024.
Minister Piah says the suspected recruitment is targeting Liberians, particularly former fighters, for what he terms “subversive action in Guinea.”
He did not say exactly where the alleged recruitment is taking place. Still, he narrates that, based on assistance from INTERPOL, the Liberia government has arrested two Guinean nationals, Abraham Sheriff and Zayzay Fassou Touray, with Sheriff serving as financier of the recruitment.
