President Joseph Nyuma Boakai departed Liberia in the week for Conakry, Guinea, to participate in a high-level meeting aimed at addressing escalating tensions along the Liberia–Guinea border in Lofa County.
The meeting will bring together President Boakai, Guinean Leader Mamadi Doumbouya, and the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, as regional leaders engage in dialogue to ease tensions and reinforce peaceful border management within the Mano River Union region.
Recent incidents in the Sorlumba area of Foya District, Lofa County, have raised concern among residents and local authorities following reports of confrontations between Guinean soldiers and Liberian civilians near the border. Local sources indicated that tensions intensified after Guinean troops crossed into territory claimed by Liberia near Sorlumba, a border community in Lofa County.
The meeting in Conakry is expected to provide a platform for the three West African leaders to address the dispute and reinforce mechanisms for peaceful border management within the Mano River Union region.
The President of Côte d’Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, is also expected to attend the discussions, reflecting broader regional interest in maintaining stability along the interconnected borders of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
The border area serves as an important corridor for trade and movement among the Mano River Union countries, making stability in the region critical to local livelihoods and regional cooperation.
President Boakai is accompanied by a high-level Liberian delegation including:
- Sara BeysolowNyanti, Minister of Foreign Affairs
- MamakaBility, Minister of State without Portfolio
- Samuel Kofi Woods II, National Security Advisor
- Francis Nyumalin, Minister of Local Government
- Geraldine Janet George, Minister of National Defense
- Davidson F. Forleh, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia
Members of the Liberian delegation will engage their regional counterparts in discussions aimed at strengthening dialogue, preventing further escalation, and ensuring that Mano River Union countries are poised to prevent border disputes.
Meanwhile, President Boakai and Maada Bio arrive in Conakry, Guinea, for High Level Talks on Regional Border Tension.
His Excellency Joseph N. Boakai, Sr., President of the Republic of Liberia, arrived in the Guinean Capital, Conakry, this afternoon to an honorable welcome by top level Guinean officials led by Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah.
Other top Guinean officials on hand to receive the two leaders were Guinean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Honorable Dr. Morissanda Kouyate; Minister of Planning, Development, and International Cooperation; Honorable Ismael Nabe; and Minister of Justice Honorable Ibrahima Sory Tounkara.
The Liberian Leader flew on the same flight with his Sierra Leonean Counterpart, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio, who is also the current Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State.
Deputy Chief of Mission at the Liberian Embassy in Conakry Chief of Mission, Mrs. M. Catherine Doe, led her staff and the Liberian Community in Conakry to welcome the Liberian Leader.
The Mano River leaders are convening in high level talks in Conakry today to compare note on the simmering tension that continued to sporadically erupt along Guinea’s borders with its two neighbors.
Talks are currently in session at the Mohammed VI Presidential Palace in Conakry.