Sierra Leone reports that Guinea is holding members of its security forces due to a border dispute

Sierra Leone on Tuesday alleged that Guinea has apprehended multiple members of its security forces, marking the latest escalation in a protracted dispute regarding border territory.

The government of Guinea has not yet provided a response to the request for comment.

The territorial dispute between the two West African nations traces its origins to Sierra Leone’s civil war from 1991 to 2002, during which Guinea sent troops to assist in combating rebels.

On Tuesday, Sierra Leone’s information ministry released a statement on social media indicating that army and police personnel were in the process of constructing a border post and an additional facility in the frontier town of Kaliyereh on Monday, when members of Guinea’s armed forces entered the town.

Guinean forces captured “multiple members of the joint security team, including an officer,” and confiscated arms and ammunition, according to the statement.

“The government is actively working through established diplomatic and security channels to verify their location and ensure their safe and unconditional release,” the statement indicated.

A team has been dispatched to the area to look into the incident, it stated.