THERE’S ESCALATING TENSION at the Liberian-Guinean border in Lofa County. Reportedly, a team of Guinean military men have crossed the border and raised Guinean flag on the Liberian side in what seems to be territorial expansion.
THE TENSION IS escalating, particularly around Foya District and the Sorlumba border area.
REPORTS INDICATE THAT armed Guinean soldiers crossed into what Liberians consider their territory near the Makona River in Lofa County.
RESIDENTS SAID THE troops even brought cement and construction materials to erect a flagpole, signaling a possible territorial claim.
THE TENSION REPORTEDLY started earlier when:Guinean soldiers seized equipment belonging to a Liberian company working near the border.
THE WORK WAS linked to activities such as sand mining and road-related operations near the Makona River, which forms part of the boundary between the two countries.
THIS DISPUTE CAUSED negotiations between local authorities from Liberia and Guinea, but tensions later rose again.
THE PRESENCE OF armed troops created panic among civilians causing hundreds to thousands of residents fleeing border communities in Sorlumba Clan and surrounding villages.
SOME SCHOOLS CLOSED and markets slowed as people moved to safer towns. Liberian civilians raised their national flag and sang the anthem in response to the Guinean flag being hoisted.
THERE ARE ALSO reports of gunfire and at least one Liberian being injured during the confrontation, though details remain unclear.
THE GOVERNMENT OF Liberia has urged citizens to remain calm while diplomatic discussions continue between the two countries.
WE URGE THE government to do everything possible to pause the smoke before it turns into blazing fire.
WE ALSO URGE the government to do everything diplomatically possible to calm down the situation before it turns in war.
WAR OFTEN BEGINS with human decisions, but its consequences fall heavily on ordinary people—families, children, and communities.
WAR HAS THE characteristic of the smoke that equally affects the nose whenever it hits the eyes.