Yenga is no security threat!

The name Yenga sounds threatening when mentioned to many Sierra Leoneans who have either not been there or get incorrect information of the situation of Yenga. Let me first give a succinct historic background of this town.

Yenga is a diminutive but strategic town that lies on a two acre land, two miles off Koindu-Konio Section, Kissy Teng Chiefdom, Kailahun District, Eastern region of Sierra Leone between Guinea and Sierra Leone. The Guinean army first engaged it in 1999 as a cushion against insurgents who were then voyaging from Sierra Leone to attack towns and villages inside Guinea. Yenga has a population of less than fifty inhabitants mostly Sierra Leoneans; with a total of five bamboo huts. Most of its inhabitants are peasant farmers, hunters and traders. It lacks all of the basic social services; except they go to neighboring Guinea or Liberia for most basic necessities. The deplorable situation of this chiefdom is unimaginable that forces me to accept the fact, that indeed there are all grounds and justifications for the rebel war to start in that part of the country. They are a deprived, disconsolate and discarded set of people; but not enjoying that right of being Sierra Leoneans. For them is more of a curse than a blessing because they have been forgotten in terms of development. This has been the situation from time in memorial and to this present day.

Yenga being a very fertile land where geologist ‘’insinuators’’ believe that the land is endowed with minerals resources (a fact that I do not assent to) is occupied by the Guinean soldiers on security grounds up to this moment.  The Guineans stated that their aim was to fight the insurgents inside Sierra Leone and end the cross-border raids. They also used Yenga, as a base; to fight Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front whose headquarters was in that district. Guinea contributed troops to the regional intervention force ECOMOG during Sierra Leone’s bloody civil war of the 1990s. During the war, Guineans soldiers’ contribution into our war was mainly to protect their territorial integrity and security of it people near the borders with Sierra Leone.  Before now, the Guineans soldiers were occupying a village called Weima; a half-mile off Yenga town; but after the war the people of that village put pressure on the Guinean soldiers to return back and leave their village. So they pushed afar until they stop at Yenga.

Even though, heavy pressure was mounting by the people of Weima on the Guinean soldiers. There are other factors that intensified their continuous stay in Yenga.

Firstly, in 2001, Yenga was declare a ‘no mans’ land that no activities were taking place until early 2003 when the Guinean people noticed that the land is fertile. So they started doing petty farming in the area in question.

Secondly, the pourousness of the border by them was a cause for concern to the Guinean authority, so they decided to occupy Yenga on security grounds as said in passing.  This is because the Sierra Leone Army by then was not capacitated to handle effectively the border situation immediately after our war ended.

Furthermore, to worsen the situation and the last straw that broke the camel’s back, which gives the Guinean more scope and grounds to keep hold of Yenga; it is reported that there have been some discrepancies between the Guinean soldiers and the Sierra Leone soldiers on business transactions they have been engaged in the past years. Information I gathered indicated that;  It all started when the Commanding Officer by then Captain Bakarr as he is commonly call; was hoodwinked by the Guinean soldiers when they failed to delivered the goods in time. After endless waiting, the captain unceremoniously and wholly took it upon himself to institute the ‘’jungle rule’’; by attaching the Guinean village of Ngowa to collect for themselves their goods.

This action sparked tension between Guinean soldiers and Sierra Leonean soldiers which according to Guinean President Late Lanasana Conteh ‘’ Yenga is a security threat that if not halted and prevented right from that point has the propensity to spill war over Guinea’’. Will any responsible leader sit to see his people perish when he is capacitated to handle the situation in question? I believe NO.

Guineans soldiers who are callous and loutish decided to use force and they in turn entered Yenga  with their Tanks and an army heavily armed to return the damage inflicted on their people by the Sierra Leonean soldiers instead of making diplomatic enquires on why the soldiers have to invade their country without their permission. Thus; this action by the Guineans soldiers saw the vandalism of the villages and the Section Chief now Regent Chief Mr. Fallah Jusu taken away and was incarcerated in a  prisoner in Guinea. The villagers mobilized themselves and form a delegation to negotiate the release of the Chief.  On negotiation terms, the community stakeholders have no option and powerless by then, ignorantly agreed that the land of Yenga belong to Sierra Leone, which Guinean soldiers are occupying on security grounds, and the water boundary between Sierra Leone and Guinea is owned by Guinea. To this day; Guineans own the boats and ferry meddling between Yenga Sierra Leone and Ngowa Guinea.

Taking into consideration that Sierra Leone suffered the same consequences because of the pourousness of its borders that saw Liberian rebels intruding Sierra Leone. This is because the Sierra Leone army by then had failed to arrest that hideous situation that left untold stories in the minds and hearts of the people of Sierra Leone. To this day; the people are not able to congregate that shattered effect of the war on us.

Explaining his ordeals, the Regent Chief Mr. Fallah Jusu informed me that the Guinean soldiers ransacked their villages, looted all their belongings and he was arrested. He was maltreated and tortured by the Guinean soldiers during his incarceration. ‘’Fire will not put off fire, so I had forgiven them because they are our immediate neighbor’’ he added and stressing that your immediate neighbor is better than a distant relative. ‘’We would have taken upon ourselves to remove them from that land because it belongs to me’’. The chief was residing in Yenga with his people before the intrusion of the Guinean soldiers.  After his release, they have resettled few miles off Yenga and have been engaged in building and maintaining the cordial relationship between their Guinean counter parts.

Most of the Guinean soldiers in Yenga are living with the civilian populace peacefully and even still doing business with the people. They usually come with their goods from Guinea to the weekly ‘’Luma’’ at Koindu town on Sundays.

‘’We have been in Yenga to secure our border and that of Sierra Leone. We used Yenga to fight the rebels inside this country during your war; and we don’t intend to seize on to Yenga. It’s all for security of our common borders and the sub region,’’ noted a Guinean soldier in Yenga who begged for anonymity. Other officers in the border I spoke to also registered their disappointment in the misconception of their stay in Yenga by their Sierra Leonean brothers; and stressed that Guinea is bigger than Sierra Leone more than twice with abundance of land to develop; why wrangle over just a petite piece of land? he question.

Yenga is as peaceful, quiet and calm like any other town in that chiefdom. The commanding Officer Captain Jones whilst briefing me, stated that  ‘’ the relationship between the Guinean soldiers and the Republic of Sierra Leone Army Forces is very cordial and that there is no need for alarm as the Yenga issue does not at this point need military intervention but Diplomatic negotiation’’. Adding that the contribution of the Guinean troops in helping us during the time of our war should firstly be appreciated and let us try to consolidate our peace and relationship with our neighbors in the sub-region.

Local residents I spoke to remarked similar sentiments and that the inter-trade between Sierra Leone and Guinea has helped in diverse ways in salvaging the suffering and rebuilding the confidence between the two countries. ‘’The people of Guinea and Sierra Leone are the same, because we share the same dialects, have inter-related traditions and religious belief’’ remarked a Kissi Guinean residing in Koindu town for the past 10 years.

The youths of that chiefdom have untapped stupendous potential that is yet to be realized. They need to be inclusively involved in the planning, running and development of the affairs of this country and their respective chiefdoms. They too need the opportunity to contribute their own little to the development of their chiefdom; if only they are given the helping hand.

I want to end this research with an appeal to the government and people of Sierra Leone to consider engaging the people of that chiefdom in terms of developmental programmes and activities. Their situation is more than the Guineans occupying Yenga, but one that requires urgent intervention. Peace is not possible without development.

By Bankole T M Turay, Freelance Researcher

Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!

---

© 2010, https:. All rights reserved.