A Sierra Leonean member of the ECOWAS Parliament has called on Guinea to return the disputed town of Yenga to Sierra Leone. The town, located in the eastern district of Kailahun, has been a point of contention between the two nations for over 20 years.

Saa Emerson Lamina, an MP and deputy House Majority Leader in the Sierra Leone Parliament, made this appeal during the presentation of the Guinean Delegation’s Country Report at the ECOWAS Parliament plenary session on Tuesday, July 9.

Lamina invoked Article 40 of the “Supplementary Act Relating to the Enhancement of the Powers of the ECOWAS Parliament,” which pertains to “External Relations and Parliamentary Diplomacy.” He urged the Guinean delegation to influence their government to “completely restitute territorial ownership of Yenga to the government and people of Sierra Leone.”

Lamina asserted that Yenga and the nearby Makona River, which naturally demarcates the two countries, have always been part of Sierra Leonean territory. He emphasized that Guinea, as a sovereign state that respects international law, must allow Sierra Leone to exercise sovereignty over the river and Yenga, as established by Britain and France, the two colonial powers.

“Our people in that part of our country have had a century-long traditional relationship with the Makona River, relying on it for irrigation, farming, fishing, and transportation to family members in Guinea,” Lamina stated. He highlighted that since the end of Sierra Leone’s civil war in 2002, Guinean soldiers deployed in the area initially as a security measure has turned into a means of harassment and violation of Sierra Leoneans’ fundamental rights.

Yenga was an undisputed part of Sierra Leone until the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebel war in 1991, which led to Guinea sending troops to support the Sierra Leonean army. Guinea also deployed troops across the border to Yenga. However, after the war ended in 2002, Guinea laid claim to the town and the river. Residents of Yenga reported harassment by Guinean troops, who also prevented them from farming on the rich arable land.

Diplomatic efforts by former presidents Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and Ernest Bai Koroma led to the demilitarization of the area, with Guinean troops withdrawing their armored tanks. However, recent reports indicate renewed Guinean troop deployment in Yenga.

The situation remains unresolved, with both countries yet to reach a lasting agreement on the status of Yenga.