Liberia: Video Proof Suggests Guinea Has Behavior of Taking Down Flag at Border, Bullying Neighbors
Monrovia – Around 3:15pm on the afternoon of January twenty first 2022, barely six months after Col Mamady Doumbouya and his junta unseated President Alpha Condé from energy in Guinea, indicators of bother ricochet close to Guinea’s border with Liberia, when Liberian authorities obtained stories from the delicate border close to the city of Sefudu within the Quardu Gboni district, that the Guinean Border Patrol workforce whereas patrolling alongside the border, went to the city of Sefudu Port of Entry, took down the Liberian flag, broke the flag pole and took it away.
By Rodney D. Sieh, [email protected]
According to high-level briefing notes, movies, and images in possession of FrontWeb pageAfrica, a day after the incident, Col. Mohammed Condé the Battalion Commander of the southern Guinean city of Macenta, traveled to the Sefudu border together with 9 officers of the Guinean military to apologize to the Liberian Joint Security for an act dedicated which marked an infringement inside the partitions of Liberia.
The act, defined by high safety personnel, included the taking down of Liberia’s nationwide flag from the border on the southern fringe of Macenta, near the Liberian border with Guinea.
Authorities say the incident is only one of some instances that the Guinea military troops alongside the border have tried to take management of bordering areas alongside the border with Liberia.
Col. Condé defined that he had obtained a mandate from the Chief of employees of the Guinean Military that every one battalion commanders ought to patrol their surrounding which he was carrying on when he arrived at Nyawalazu city and was inspired by the final Town Chief of the world to point out him the precise boundary between Guinea and Liberia; although he was not mandated to cross and enter into Liberia.
During that encounter, Col. Condé, accompanied by Mr. Tarnue Barley, General Town Chief of Nyawalazu, Mr. Masaboi Kordor and Madam Sebah Sabah. Col. Condé mentioned whereas on the best way, he noticed a gate, an workplace construction and a flagpole standing with the Liberia flag on it.
As they continued their journey roughly forty 40 ft the place the boundary with Liberia was proven to him, he now noticed a damaged pole with the flag mendacity flat on the bottom. As a educated Military personnel, he narrated, in keeping with briefing notes, “whether a flag represents your country or not, once it is lying on the ground, it should be taken and kept.”
Col. Condé was then requested by the Liberian border patrol, why he didn’t simply place the flag within the construction he noticed, however reasonably took it to his nation, Guinea.
According to the briefing notes in FPA’s possession, the Guinean military chief couldn’t justify however reasonably mentioned. ‘That it was an oversight.’
In his apologist assertion, Col. Condé is quoted as saying that he was deceived by the Town Chief, different residents in addition to the army commander assigned on the Nyawalazu border, who mentioned he was unaware that the land the Liberia flag was posted, and located in was owned by Guinea.
Guinea Bullying Neighbors?
Col. Condé went on to say that he noticed the Custom officer however forgot to offer the flag to him, earlier than expressing deep regrets for the motion of his troops in opposition to the Liberian Government. Col. Condé promised that such a factor won’t ever be repeated.
Officers on the border reported on the time that the Guineans went so far as eradicating the label on the constructing and tried to erase any signal of Liberia on the partitions on the border. Furthermore, the gate representing the Liberian border was damaged by the Guineans.
The 2022 incident got here just a little over a decade after Guinea engaged in the same border tussle with one other next-door neighbor, Sierra Leone. In August 2012, Sierra Leone and Guinea got here to close blows over the border city of Yenga. In 2005, Sierra Leone and Guinea had signed an settlement confirming Yenga – a tiny city on the banks of the Makona River – belonged to Sierra Leone. However, Guinean troops remained within the city. Although the 2 international locations finally pledged to resolve the dispute over management of Yenga city by dialogue, many Sierra Leoneans on the time expressed dismay and accused Guinea of bullying. Guinean troops had entered the city greater than a decade in the past to assist the Sierra Leonean military battle rebels however refused at hand the city again to the Sierra Leonean authorities after defeating the rebellion. At the time, it was believed the Guineans have been afraid that the city might be used as an entry level for rebellion, thus their defiance over the matter. In the tip, either side agreed to work out the modalities on a buffer zone.
In current weeks, the Guinean head of state Doumbouya and his junta have been expressing fears that former President Alpha Condé has been making an attempt to topple the junta rulership. Just final week, the Liberian authorities succumbed to stress from Guinea and turned over a Guinean nationwide Ibrahim Khalis Cherif, Guinea says has been in Liberia recruiting former rebels of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Development(Lurd).
While the destiny of Cherif stays unknown, the Junta in Guinea is coming below immense stress from opposition teams, civil society organizations and activists often called the Forces Vives to induce the junta to determine civilian rule by Jan. 1. 2025.
In January 2022, Col. Mohammed Conde, the Battalion Commander of Macenta, Republic of Guinea arrived on the Sefudu border with 9 Guinean officers to apologize to the Joint Security in Liberia for an act which triggered issues about Guinea’s try and publish its flag on Liberian territory. Conde, in keeping with briefing notes obtained by FrontWeb pageAfrica, defined that he had obtained a mandate from the Chief of employees of the Guinean Military that every one battalion commanders ought to patrol their surrounding which he was carrying on when he arrived at Nyawalazu city and was inspired by the final Town Chief of that space to point out him the precise boundary between Guinea and Liberia; although he was not mandated to cross and enter into Liberia. The incident raises much more questions in wake of the current controversy surrounding the extradition of Ibrahima Khalil Cherif, a Guinean nationwide accused of recruiting for Lurd Rebels to overthrow the junta in Guinea. This comes because the Guinean opposition are mounting stress for junta chief Col. Mamady Doumbouya to return the nation to civilian rule.
The junta seized energy in a 2021 coup and proposed a two-year transition to elections from 2022 after negotiating with the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc, but it surely has proven little signal of transferring to arrange a vote, stoking public frustration.
Guinea has in current months seen sporadic protests in opposition to the authorities and army chief Mamady Doumbouya because the junta took workplace, some resulting in lethal clashes with safety forces.
Guinea Undermining Democracy, Neighbors on Edge
In July, Guinea’s transitional authorities introduced the draft of a brand new structure which might probably permit Doumbouya to take part within the subsequent presidential election. No date has but been set for a promised referendum on the structure, which they mentioned can be a precursor to any election.
Doumbouya has been criticized for dissolving the opposition National Front for the Defense of the Constitution, a distinguished coalition of Guinean civil society teams and opposition events, on politically motivated grounds. In August, the watchdog group, Human Rights Watch mentioned the transfer by the nation’s territorial administration and decentralization minister severely damages the nation’s return to real democratic rule. “The coalition was given no opportunity to effectively challenge the decision, which was based on vague and sweeping allegations, before an independent judicial body with the authority to quash the order,” HRW famous. “The Guinean transitional government already tightly controls political space,” mentioned Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “This move against the FNDC will only further undermine democracy by discouraging any meaningful opposition.”
The order accuses the coalition of organizing public armed demonstrations, utilizing violence, inciting hate, and performing like “private militias.” This determination got here hours after the coalition had introduced new demonstrations throughout Guinea and overseas calling for a reputable dialogue between transitional army authorities and opposition events and civil society.
Paranoia and Jitters within the army junta in Guinea is placing neighbors like Liberia on edge.
Tension has been excessive because the extradition of the Guinean nationwide Cherif by the Liberian authorities. Six armed commandos arrived in Liberia on November 3, 2024, to take Cherif again to Guinea. On Monday morning, AFL Troops have been seen arriving in Voinjama, Lofa County as each international locations mount their presence to cement the world. This comes simply days after the Liberian authorities turned over Ibrahima Khalis Cherif, Guinea says has been the purpose man recruiting former Lurd rebels in Liberia.
Liberia is sure to the north by Guinea, one among its neighboring international locations with which it shares its land border. The worldwide border delimiting the 2 West African international locations is 350 miles in size. The border begins on the tripoint connecting the 2 international locations to Sierra Leone from the place it extends eastwards till it meets the Liberia-Ivory Coast-Guinea tripoint.
Defense Ministry sources, talking on situation of anonymity after viewing images of AFL troopers in Voinjama, mentioned, “the Soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia have been deployed to Voinjama to beef up their forces in readiness for joint patrols with their Guinean counterparts along the stretch of the Guinean Liberian border areas of Lofa County. This follows a decision of the Liberian National Security Council in fulfillment of decisions reached after a national security meeting last week. “We are trying to upgrade our strength in Voinjama, to a company size as well as increase presence in Foya, Zorzor and Quardo Gboni,” mentioned the senior official who shouldn’t be approved to talk on the matter publicly.
The official added: “Based on what has been coming. We don’t need anybody to make use of our borders for something humorous. We try to discourage that thought from the minds of anybody making an attempt something sinister.
Fortifying Borders
The improve in troops on either side of the border comes simply days after the Liberian authorities took a controversial transfer to extradite Ibrahima Khalil Cherif, a Guinean nationwide accused of recruiting for Lurd Rebels to overthrow the junta in Guinea. The situation of Cherif since he was turned over to the Guinea Junta stays unclear.
FrontWeb pageAfrica has realized that each the AFL and the Ministry of Defense are awaiting approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier than transferring nearer to the Guinean border. “It’s true that our soldiers are in Voinjama, but we have not yet advanced to the border. “The troops landed in Voinjama, and the people welcomed them. The intent is to get to the border, but we are waiting for further instructions. The Guineans have already been informed but we are awaiting to hear from them through the foreign ministry. By the time we hear from them we will make our move to cement our border with Guinea.”
With a lot historical past involving army rulers and coups within the troubled West African subregion, diplomatic observers are not sure what to make of Doubouya and his authorities’s claims of large recruitment of former Lurd rebels in Liberia. More importantly, the specter of militarism creeping its means again within the subregion is a possible for bother. Liberia and Sierra Leone have each loved successive democratic transitions in recent times, after each international locations endured civil wars. However, the refusal of the junta in Guinea to return to the nation to civil rule might spell bother that would overlap in each Liberia and Sierra Leone.
As hope and optimism for Guinea fades, it’s unclear how the Mano River Union international locations will handle the sense of paranoia and worry popping out of Guinea and a junta authorities’s obvious unwillingness to decide to its promise to return the French colony to civilian rule.
