Mano River Union Heads of State Endorse Koindu Declaration
By Marian Samu

Koindu, the one-time commercial citadel of Sierra Leone in the Kailahun District which hosted an international market, serving Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone was once again thrown into frenzied festivity approximately three years after the end of the rebel war in Sierra Leone. Sanity was once more restored to Koindu, which was devastated by the rebels when they started their pillaging and marauding campaign in 1991 from neighbouring Liberia, as the Kissi Parliamentarians from the three border districts in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, on Sunday, 20th February 2005 presented a communiqué to the Heads of State of the three countries at an impressive ceremony held at Koindu.

On the invitation of the Parliamentarians the three leaders, Chairman Gyude Bryant of the National Transitional Government of Liberia, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone and Prime Minister Diallo of Guinea who attended on behalf of President Lansana Conte, were all in attendance to grace the occasion.

Giving a brief background to the event the Chairman of the occasion, Justice Edmond Cowan, Speaker of the Sierra Leone House of Parliament, commended the efforts of the three Parliamentarians, the Honourable Francis Tengbeh from Sierra Leone, Hon. Philip Saa Tali from Liberia and Hon. Enouma Fanello Millimouno of Guinea for taking the initiative to ensure peaceful co-existence among and between the people of the Kissi communities in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. He said the event was a culmination of a series of meetings between the Parliamentarians and consultations with the elders and people of the Kissi communities of the three countries.

Hon. Francis Tengbeh who welcomed the guests on behalf of the Parliamentarians, said among other things that the Kissi people were law-abiding and will remain loyal to constitutional authorities. He reaffirmed that there is no problem between the Kissis living in the border area of the three countries. Hon. Tengbeh appealed to the authorities to help resuscitate the Koindu market as that economic centre will go a long way in poverty alleviation, as well as providing a meeting point for the peoples of the three countries. That economic activity came to an abrupt halt since the rebel incursion in 1991.

Making a statement on the occasion, Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General and UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Victor Angelo, commended the Kissi Parliamentarians and their people for taking the positive initiative of coming together. He informed the gathering that the UN Team had just concluded a meeting in Freetown and have come up with several strategies that could be used to address various challenges, including cross-border issues such as the proliferation of small arms, human trafficking, border management control, security, etc. He reiterated the United Nations readiness to assist in the sustenance of regional peace and stability, including the issues raised by the Kissi Parliamentarians, with full respect for the sovereignty of each country.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea assured the people that the Head of State of the Republic of Guinea, President Lansana Conte, was prepared to work and cooperate with them. He reaffirmed that the Republic of Guinea was always prepared to support the friendship between Sierra Leone and Guinea, adding that they will spare no time in addressing and implementing the issues raised in the communiqué. Prime Minster Diallo further assured the people that there is no conflict between Sierra Leone and Guinea. On the issue of Yenga that had dominated the front pages of local tabloids in Sierra Leone, Prime Minister Diallo said Yenga is a non issue as there are clear border demarcations, adding that his government will abide by the 1912 Franco-British treaty and the 1963 OAU recognition of existing colonial boundaries, including all other MOUs that have been agreed upon by the two countries. He said the problem of demarcating the border was created because most of the beacons had disappeared with time. Notwithstanding that, he emphasized the point that President Lansana Conte and President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah will never allow a border conflict between their two countries.

In his statement, the Head of State of Liberia, Chairman Gyude Bryant, said he was proud of the Kissi people as they have taken this initiative on their own instead of the usual expectations of always wanting the leadership to take initiatives. He expressed appreciation for the peace and security in the two countries and strictly advised all Liberians to desist from carrying small arms across the border as they will pay dearly for it if they are caught.

President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah expressed confidence in the security and peaceful co-existence with our neighbours, noting that when the war started it was Guinea that took the initiative to come to our aid; so they cannot now at this time be against Sierra Leone.

On the Yenga issue, President Kabbah said that he had earlier on met with President Lansana Conte and they had agreed to get experts from their two countries so that they could study the relevant maps and replace those beacons that have been lost with time. He therefore requested the Prime Minister to work on this immediately he got back to Conakry. President Kabbah also suggested that the British High Commissioner and UN Resident Representative could be requested to assist in getting an independent consultant that would assist the joint committee of experts to install the missing beacons along the boundary.

The occasion was also used to launch the girl child Sababu Education project in the Kailahun District which saw books and other school materials distributed among school girls in the locality.

At the end of the event President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and Chairman Gyude Bryant took a trip to the border town of Mendekorna on the Liberia front, after which President Kabbah, accompanied by Vice President Berewa, Unamsil Deputy SRSG Victor Angello, British High Commissioner Dr. John Michiner and entourage visited Yenga on the Sierra Leone side and went up to the banks of the Makona River on the Guinean front.

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