“I Feel Insulted That Another Country Can Enter Our Country” – I.B Kargbo on Yenga Border Issue

The decades-long dispute over the Yenga border region has reignited tensions between Sierra Leone and Guinea. The presence of Guinean troops in the area, claimed by Sierra Leone, is causing unease among residents and prompting calls for a resolution at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Veteran politician and journalist, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, expressed his frustration at a press conference. “This is unacceptable,” he declared. “We simply want to state that Yenga is ours. We don’t want conflict, but the ICJ might be necessary to settle this dispute. Historical records clearly show Yenga belongs to Sierra Leone.”

Recently, Constituency 003 representative, Hon. Hindolo Gevao talked about the Yenga problem and its consequence on the Kissi people following a recent visit to that part of the country.

Hon Gevao was also part of the government’s council on a fact-finding mission of the Hon Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and other dignitaries including colleague MP, Hon Tengbeh of Constituency 002.

His latest disclosures further highlighted and captured the scale of psychological, political, economic, and security implications of the Guinean occupation of Yenga.

Hon. Gevao said that the psychosocial effect of the illegal occupation of Yenga by the Guinean forces is a stark reminder of the shackles of war and the reemergence of the post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by the Kissi people just after the war. He added that listening to the testimonies of the Kissi people of the Mokona River basin brought back the memories of war and captured the ugly scenarios and with a teething question: has the war not ended in that part of the country?“…Because seeing their land being occupied by foreign forces is a reminder that the war has not ended” he stated.

The Member of Parliament who is also from that part of the country also noted that unlike other areas in the country, it is felt, that the Kissi land which by history legally belongs to Sierra Leone, is the only land that is left under development for reasons we don’t know. Adding that without recounting history, the Kissi community is the only community that has not enjoyed peace since the 1991 when Foday Sankoh and his RUF rebels attacked the eastern border town.

“If we are to go with the words of Pa Kabba -THE WAR DON DON. Yet, the Guinean contingent is still occupying YENGA” he said.