Governments must solve Guinean troops issue, UN says

Issues surrounding the withdrawal of Guinean troops from their base near Koindu in eastern Kailahun District of Sierra Leone, will have to be resolved by the governments of the two countries, according to the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). The troops are currently stationed at Yinga, less than one km from the border with Guinea, UNAMSIL's military spokesman Major Mohammed Yerima told IRIN on Monday. Following a visit to the area last week, UNAMSIL Force Commander Lt-Gen Daniel Opande said that the issue would have to be resolved "at a diplomatic level" by the Sierra Leonean and Guinean governments, according to Yerima. Guinean forces have been in Sierra Leone since around 1998 when cross-border skirmishes between the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and Guinean troops used to occur. However with the end of the civil war and disarmament of all former combatants in Sierra Leone drawing to a close, the presence of Guinean troops could potentially delay the completion of disarmament and the subsequent deployment of Sierra Leonean troops to the border area. The RUF, which waged a 10-year civil war against the Sierra Leonean government, has also raised concerns over the presence of the Guineans, Yerima said. UNAMSIL officials and Guinean armed forces met to discuss this issue on 20 November at the armed forces headquarters in the Guinean capital, Conakry. The Guineans said they were not interested in moving their troops at present and maintained that they were on Guinean territory, Yerima quoted a statement as saying.