Liberia’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Cllr. Oswald N. Tweh, has called for collective regional action to address growing threats across the borders of Mano River Union (MRU) countries.
Speaking on behalf of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., at the High-Level Regional Meeting on Land and Maritime Borders, Minister Tweh called on Liberia’s neighbors to embrace dialogue, coordination, and joint strategies to protect the region’s people, economies, and natural resources.
The landmark gathering, held at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Oldest Congo Town, brought together top officials and technical teams from Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, along with development partners including the African Union, ECOWAS, the European Union, and the Government of Germany.
“Our border communities often feel insecure due to crimes and uncontrolled border-related challenges,” Minister Tweh declared. “A clear delimitation and demarcation of the Mano River borders will significantly help to improve border security, governance, and markedly reduce chances for any potential conflicts and crime.”
Minister Tweh emphasized that the unclear and often porous land borders inherited from Africa’s colonial history have become flashpoints for instability, despite the strong historical and cultural bonds shared by MRU nations.
“While these borderlines served as useful facilitators of trade, social interaction, and cultural bonding, we cannot ignore the sad fact that they are also abused as unauthorized crossing points that continue to create opportunities for trade in illicit drugs, human trafficking, and illegal arms,” he warned. “Our region cannot afford to ignore these threats.”
He noted that the meeting itself was a timely response to the inherited land and maritime border issues and a vital step toward “effective border management and lasting solutions that will enable unhindered cross-border trade, free movement of people, and safe and secure border communities.”
Despite various regional efforts and frameworks under the MRU, Tweh acknowledged that many of the initiatives have yet to fully benefit borderland communities due to implementation shortfalls and a lack of adequate resources.
“These efforts have not adequately filtered down to the borderland communities,” he said. “Obviously, this is due to insufficient resources and weak implementation in areas of border security and management programs.”
He described the region’s increasing demand for natural resources—from mining and logging to fishing and maritime activities—as a growing source of tension that justifies urgent demarcation of borders.
“The increasing pressure on these important resources justifies the need for our respective land and maritime borders to be demarcated and delineated,” he said.
With a focus on the ocean economy, Tweh also spoke on the importance of maritime boundary cooperation. “In the Mano River Union countries, we share maritime borders primarily defined by their Exclusive Economic Zones and the International Hydrographic Organization sea areas,” he explained.
“These maritime borders delineate national marine areas and are crucial for managing marine resources, implementing conservation strategies, and analyzing marine biogeographic patterns.”
He emphasized the need for regional collaboration in marine surveillance, environmental protection, and fisheries management, describing the sea as a “shared resource” that must be protected through “joint management strategies.”
Minister Tweh outlined several key proposals and reaffirmed Liberia’s readiness to play a leading role. He urged the MRU Secretariat—with support from the African Union and Germany’s development agency GIZ—to convene further dialogue on maritime borders and support joint patrols through existing bilateral frameworks.
“Let us strengthen the capacities of the Joint Border Security and Confidence-Building Units established a few years ago with Côte d’Ivoire to patrol land borders and address the proliferation of arms and ammunition, which bears direct impact on maritime security,” he said.
He also advocated for strengthening regional early warning systems and centralized intelligence-sharing mechanisms to address cross-border threats.
Tweh praised the African Union and ECOWAS for initiating border governance programs and extended “special thanks to the German Government” for its financial support to the AU Border Program.
However, he raised concern over the upcoming expiration of the program.
“Though we are informed that funding for this Border Program will come to a close in June 2026, we make a special appeal to kindly consider a much-needed extension of the program,” he said. “We plead with other partners to join resource mobilization efforts of the MRU member countries and development partners to extend the African Union Border Program.”
As a concrete national step, the Justice Minister announced that Liberia is prepared to establish a National Boundary Commission and Secretariat in line with the African Union’s Vision 2063 and continental standards.
“Let me assure you that Liberia stands ready to establish the Liberian National Boundary Commission and its Secretariat in accordance with the standard of the Continental Border Program and the vision 2063 of the African Union,” he confirmed.
He also extended an invitation to the Makona River Organization and other sub-regional actors to join efforts to resolve outstanding border disputes between Guinea and Sierra Leone.
As the regional summit continues over the next few days with technical sessions and bilateral talks, Minister Tweh called on all participants to embrace the spirit of dialogue and collaboration.
“To the members of the various Joint Technical Commissions to be installed during this meeting,” he urged, “do everything possible to prioritize dialogue, cooperation, border security, and peace.”
“I pray that the next few days of this meeting will produce outcomes that will put us in the best of shape in our border interactions.”
The summit was attended by several high-ranking officials including Liberia’s Foreign Minister Hon. Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Internal Affairs Minister Hon. F. Sakila Nyumalin, Sr., MRU Executive Secretary Ambassador Simeon Moibah, Secretary General of the Makona River Organization Hon. Fallah Ensa N’Dema, and United Nations Resident Coordinator Madam Christine N. Umutoni.
Also present were ambassadors and representatives from the European Union, African Union, ECOWAS, Germany, as well as technical teams from the MRU member countries.
