Joint Communique
Friday September 3rd 2004

On Thursday 2nd September 2004 on the eve of the WAMZ Summit Meeting held in Conakry, their Excellencies General Lansana CONTE, President of the Republic of Guinea, and Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, held discussions with regard to the issue of the Guinea/Sierra Leone border along the Makona/Moa river.

With regard to this issue, H.E. General Lansana Conte reassured President Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, that there will never be any conflict between the Republics of Sierra Leone and Guinea.

According to the treaty signed between Great Britain and France on 4th September, 1912, the Makona/Moa river between cairns No 15 and 16, entirely belongs to the Republic of Guinea.

The village of Yenga however belongs to the Republic of Sierra Leone.

Furthermore, under Article 3 of the Charter of the organization of African Unity, the boundaries inherited from the colonial powers are intangible.

What remains to be done is the physical demarcation of the boundary in accordance with the 1912 treaty and related maps, confirmed by the 1974 Agreement signed in Freetown on 17th March, 1974, by the Prime of the Republic of Guinea, Dr. Lansana BEAVOGUI, and the Vice - President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Honorable Sorie Ibrahim Koroma.

The two Heads of State agreed that there was no question of restarting negotiations on the border demarcation.

The two Heads of State deplored the spreading of rumours that is worrying the people of Yenga, according to which their village had allegedly been sold to Guinea by the government of Sierra Leone.

At any rate, the people of Sierra Leone and Guinea will always live in good neighbourliness.

The two Heads of State therefore decided that their ministers responsible for Internal Affairs should visit the area on the 6th September, 2004 to reassure the people that those rumours were unfounded and false.

The two ministers were thus mandated to come up with proposals regarding the joint deployment in the area of security personnel from both countries in order to prevent any mischief.

Their Excellencies General Lansana Conte, President of the Republic of Guinea and Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone renewed their commitment to the ideals of peace and solidarity that have always existed between their countries. They reaffirmed their commitment to building up a free, prosperous and United Africa through such regional organizations as the Mano River Union and ECOWAS.

Done in Conakry on Friday 3rd September, 2004.