A Sierra Leonean citizen residing in the US, Dr. Michael F. Kallon, has sent a letter to the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken alleging an invasion by Guinean troops into Yenga, a village located near the border.

According to Dr. Kallon’s letter, a battalion of Guinean soldiers crossed the Makona River, which he claims as the natural border between the two countries. The letter further states that Guinea has historically claimed ownership of the river and Yenga, a claim Dr. Kallon refutes.

The letter details the hardships faced by the indigenous Kissi people living along the river. They have reportedly been barred from fishing and subjected to violence by Guinean patrols in the past. Dr. Kallon claims Guinea has erected a new border marker disregarding past agreements on demilitarization.

He urges the US to address this situation at the United Nations Security Council, highlighting the importance of the Makona River basin for the economies and development of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.

Dr. Kallon emphasizes Sierra Leone’s peaceful approach to resolving the border dispute and expresses concern for the safety of the Kissi people. He calls for US intervention to prevent a potential war between the two nations.

The letter comes amidst a history of tension over the Yenga border. While the current situation remains unconfirmed, it raises concerns about escalating tensions in the region.

DR. MICHAEL F. KALLON
2006 Alfred Drive, Apt. B
Yeadon, PA 19050 USA
E-mail address- [email protected]
Telephone: (610) 241-2791

April 4, 2024

To: The Honorable Antony Blinken
Secretary of State
Washington, DC 20520
USA

cc: The Honorable Bryan Hunt
Ambassador of the United States
U. S. Embassy – Hill Station
Freetown, Sierra Leone

cc: President Julius Maada Bio
State House
Republic of Sierra Leone

Cc: Embassies of the Countries in the Mano River Union in Washington D.C, USA.

Re: The Guinean Army Invades Yenga in Sierra Leone

Dear Mr. Secretary:

Just a few hours ago, a battalion of heavily armed Guinean troops crossed the Makona River, a natural boundary between Sierra Leone and Guinea. Its purpose was to invade Yenga, a hamlet a mile away from the river in the Kissi Bendu region in Sierra Leone.

The Guinean government has claimed ownership of the Makona River and Yenga in inland Sierra Leone since 1912. There has never been any agreement in historical annals to suggest that Guinea should own the Makona River, and Yenga, in Sierra Leone.

Mister Secretary, the indigenous Kissi tribe living in Sierra Leone along the banks of the Makona River was barred from fishing in their canoes on the Makona River. Also, fishermen from the Sierra Leonean side caught fishing during the past regime of the late President Ahmed Sekou Toure of Guinea were subjected to torture, and beaten to death, or they were shot on the spot by the heavily armed Guinean soldiers who patrolled the banks of the Makona River, in those days.

The Guinean authorities have taken Yenga in Sierra Leone and built a new demarcation beacon with 1886 boldly inscribed on it, in the area amidst the declaration of demilitarization by both countries over the years.

The Guinean government’s unabashed crossing of the Makona River should be deemed a blatant abuse of international law and should be reported to the United Nations Security Council with immediate effect.

Mister Secretary, the Makona River basin is vital to both the Republics of Guinea, and Sierra Leone, as well as Liberia, due to its strategic location, economic importance, international trade, and because it suits human development programs.

Sierra Leone has shown great statesmanship in working with Guinea to address the Yenga border dispute peacefully over the years. The people of Kissi Bendu, living along the shores of the Makona River, have endured sleepless nights, and have been unable to do their farming due to the constant Guinean military incursions on their land over the years.

Mr. Secretary, today, no nation should have the right to cross a river to usurp land in another country because of military dominance without fear of an escalation of war between the two countries, and thus losing human lives for no cause.

Although the Kissi tribe is indigenous to the Makona River basin, other tribes from all over Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone work together to safeguard peace in the Mano River Union, on the west coast of Africa.

Mister Secretary, we hope that your excellent engagements in similar global situations will help to thwart the war between Sierra Leone and Guinea in Yenga, and bring peace between both nations for those people living along the shores of the Makona River, and to foster dignity above fear, death, and unnecessary destruction.

We anticipate a swift response to secure a peaceful resolution of the border dispute between the Yenga area in Sierra Leone, and Guinea.

Respectfully,

Michael F. Kallon, Ph.D., FAIP, CPA.
Global Leadership and Management
Fellow of the African Institute of Public Administration
A concerned American & Sierra Leonean citizen living in the U.S.