Sierra Leone says members of its security forces held by Guinea in border dispute

FREETOWN, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Sierra Leone on Tuesday accused Guinea of capturing several members of its security forces, in the latest flare-up of a long-running row over border territory.

Guinea later said that several dozen Sierra Leonean armed soldiers had entered its territory without authorization on Sunday, prompting armed forces to apprehend 16 of them and seize equipment.

The territorial dispute between the two West African countries dates back to Sierra Leone’s 1991-2002 civil war when Guinea deployed troops to help fight rebels. 

In a statement posted on social media on Tuesday, Sierra Leone’s information ministry said army and police personnel were constructing a border post and another facility in the frontier town of Kaliyereh on Monday when members of Guinea’s armed forces arrived in the town.

The statement said that “several members of the joint security team, including an officer” were apprehended  by Guinean forces who also seized arms and ammunition.

“Government is actively engaging through established diplomatic and security channels to confirm their location and secure their safe and unconditional release,” the statement said.

A team has been sent to the area to investigate the incident, it added.

Guinea’s ministry of defence said in a statement late Tuesday that the detained soldiers and seized items had been handed over to the judicial police so that an investigation could be carried out.

(Reporting by Umaru Fofana and Guinea newsroom; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet, Alexandra Hudson)