Salone Soldiers Return From Guinean Captivity
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Alhaji Timothy Musa Kabba, has credited Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, for the decisive diplomatic intervention that secured the release of 16 detained security personnel from Guinea on 27 February 2026.
The soldiers had been arrested on 22 February in the Koudaya district of Guinea’s Faranah Region, amid renewed tensions over the disputed Sierra Leone–Guinea border. Guinean authorities claimed the troops crossed into their territory. Sierra Leone insisted its personnel were at Kalieyereh in Falaba District constructing a border post when Guinean forces crossed the frontier and detained them.
The disagreement reflects a decades-old boundary issue, dating back to colonial demarcations. In the immediate aftermath, Freetown activated diplomatic and security channels rather than escalating militarily.
Vice President Juldeh Jalloh, acting as Commander-in-Chief in the absence of President Dr Julius Maada Bio, who coincidentally is Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, constituted and mandated a high-level delegation to Conakry.
Minister Kabba, who led the delegation to Conakry, met with Guinean Prime Minister, Amadou Oury Bah. Talks were firm but constructive. The result was the safe handover of the detained personnel.
Speaking in Freetown during a dinner reception at the Vice President’s residence, Tim Kabba described the intervention as “decisive and timely.”
“When the incident happened, you showed remarkable courage and leadership,” he told the Vice President. “You provided the inspiration. It is your instruction that we took to Conakry.”
Vice President Juldeh Jalloh, who warmly welcomed the servicemen and women, praised their courage and emphasized that the two nations share deep cultural and family bonds. “Guinea and Sierra Leone are two countries but one people,” he said.
The episode reinforced Sierra Leone’s commitment to peaceful resolution and high-level negotiation. It also demonstrated that regional leadership and diplomacy remain powerful tools in preventing escalation.
