Over 500 Sierra Leoneans reportedly deported from Guinea, are said to be stranded at several porous border crossing points.
More than 500 Sierra Leonean nationals have been deported from Guinea and are currently stranded at the Pamlap border crossing and other entry points awaiting clearance to re-enter Sierra Leone, sources acquainted with the escalating tension have confirmed.
The mass expulsion of Sierra Leones comes just days after a high-level tripartite meeting involving Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia aimed at easing border tensions within the Mano River region ended.
Authorities on both sides have yet to issue an official statement regarding the operation or its underlying causes up to press time late last night.
Witnesses claimed that Guinean authorities rounded up hundreds of Sierra Leonean citizens residing in the country, with officials alleging that many were contributing to “disorder in urban areas, and labeling a significant number as idle or unemployed.” The operation reportedly caused panic among families, with children and elderly individuals caught in the sweep.
“We were simply living our lives, working small jobs and trying to survive. Now we’re being treated by neighbors like criminals,” one deportee reportedly stated.
Observers suggest the move reflects ongoing tensions over migration and economic pressures in Guinea cities, where swelling urban populations have strained public services.
Critics, however, argue that the deportations “unfairly target hardworking, law-abiding immigrants.”
Humanitarian groups have meanwhile, called on both governments to ensure due process is followed as stranded deportees await assistance at the border.
Source: sierraloaded.sl/news/sierra-leoneans