SOURCE: Reuters
CONAKRY, Guinea, Feb 27 (Reuters) – Guinea on Friday released 16 security personnel from neighboring Sierra Leone arrested earlier this week, two officials said, a move that may de-escalate the latest flare-up of a long-running border dispute.
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The Sierra Leoneans were released after discussions involving Timothy Musa Kabba, Sierra Leone’s foreign minister, who met with Guinean Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah in Conakry, the Guinean capital, according to the officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the two governments had not yet issued public statements.
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Sierra Leone’s information minister and a spokesperson for Guinea’s government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Sierra Leone on Tuesday accused Guinea of capturing several members of its security forces. Sierra Leone’s information ministry said army and police personnel were constructing a border post and another facility in the Sierra Leonean frontier town of Kaliyereh when members of Guinea’s armed forces arrived.
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Guinea, for its part, said several dozen Sierra Leonean armed soldiers had entered its territory without authorization, prompting armed forces to apprehend 16 of them and seize equipment.
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The territorial dispute dates back to Sierra Leone’s 1991-2002 civil war, when Guinea deployed troops to help fight rebels.
Reporting by Guinea newsroom; Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; Editing by Ethan Smith