Arya News - 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
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.
* The Sierra Leoneans were released after discussionsinvolving 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 oncondition of anonymity because the two governments had not yetissued public statements. * Sierra Leone"s information minister and a spokesperson forGuinea"s government did not immediately respond to requests forcomment. * Sierra Leone on Tuesday accused Guinea of capturingseveral members of its security forces. Sierra Leone"sinformation ministry said army and police personnel wereconstructing a border post and another facility in the SierraLeonean frontier town of Kaliyereh when members of Guinea"sarmed forces arrived. * Guinea, for its part, said several dozen Sierra Leoneanarmed soldiers had entered its territory without authorization,prompting armed forces to apprehend 16 of them and seizeequipment. * The territorial dispute dates back to Sierra Leone"s1991-2002 civil war, when Guinea deployed troops to help fightrebels.
(Reporting by Guinea newsroom; Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; Editing by Ethan Smith)