By Zacharia Jalloh
A one-week-long meeting of the Third Joint Technical Commission for the Reaffirmation of the Sierra Leone and Guinea Border held in Kailahun on 23-30 March 2025 ended on a good note as each country presented their documents relating to the respective countries’ border.
The presentation of these documents is the general objective of the meeting aiming to clarify the land and maritime border limits of the two countries.
The documents collected from the two countries were sorted and categorized into three thematic headlines: legal, administrative and cartographic, as unanimously agreed by both countries. The process was supported by the German Cooperation through GIZ as part of the implementation of the African Union Border Program (AUBP).
The delegation from Sierra Leone consists of 16 members headed by the Chief of Staff at the Office of the National Security, Mr Francis Langumba Keili. The composition of the Sierra Leone delegation came from different offices, including the ONS, RSLAF, SLP, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FBC, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Information and Civic Education, the National Early Warning Center (NEWRMC), CSO, etc.
In his opening remarks, the lead facilitator, Mr Saa David LENO, who is representing the African Union Border Program (GIZ/PFUA), expressed satisfaction with the willingness of both countries to hold this meeting to address border infractions between the two countries. He emphasized the overall objective of the meeting which is in line with the aspiration of the African Union Border Program to achieve the full reaffirmation of all African borders. He registered the full commitment of GIZ/PFUA to support the Joint Technical Commission for the reaffirmation of the Sierra Leone and Guinea Border.
The Head of the Sierra Leone delegation, Mr Langumba Keili, welcomed the Guinean delegation headed by the National Director of Public Liberties and Borders and Executive Secretary of the National Border Commission of Guinea, Mr Moriba Magassouba, and his team to the beautiful shores of Sierra Leone. Speaking of the importance of the meeting, he said it is a result of the recommendations made during the joint awareness-raising mission to the Sierra Leone-Guinea border communities held from the 22nd of October to the 11th of November 2024.
Mr Keili emphasized that this meeting is a clear demonstration of commitments from both countries to strengthen their collaboration and maintain the momentum of the process, leading to the affirmation of the common borders with the ultimate aim of ensuring peace and social cohesion in the border areas.
On behalf of authorities in Sierra Leone, Mr Keili went on to assure representatives of GIZ/PFUA of Sierra Leone’s determination to facilitate the reaffirmation of the common borders between the two countries. He urged the Joint Technical Committee to ensure that results from the meeting contribute significantly to the reaffirmation of the borderline to guarantee peace and social cohesion in the border areas. He expressed Sierra Leone’s readiness to present documents to support the entire process.
Speaking on behalf of the Guinea delegation, Mr Moriba Magassouba thanked the Sierra Leonean delegation and the Government of Sierra Leone for the warm reception accorded to him and members of his delegation. Mr Magassouba urged committee members to work diligently in analysing and sorting out documents that can significantly support the commission in addressing the issues around the borderlines of both countries.
After several days of producing and analysing a series of documents from each country, Sierra Leone and Guinea agreed on specific documents that include legal, administrative and cartographic, which will enable the process of reaffirmation of the Sierra Leone and Guinea Borderline.
Both countries recommended holding the fourth meeting of the Joint Technical Commission for the reaffirmation of the Sierra Leone and Guinea Border before the end of the first half of 2025 in Guinea.
