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On May 23, Guinean military personnel manning a checkpoint in Badala, just south of the Katkama transit centre, searched trucks from camps in the western part of the Parrot’s Beak and arrested seven young men, UNHCR reported on Friday. They are suspected of belonging to a militia group.
UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski said the agency was concerned about the incident, which occurred despite an agreement by Guinean military and local authorities that baggage and refugees would be screened before the convoys left the camps.
UNHCR said its staff have noted increased tension in the area, particularly among the military in Nongoa, a locality in the eastern part of the Parrot’s Beak area that came under rebel attack in early March. On Wednesday, UNHCR staff escorting convoys reported a visible presence of Kamajors, the Sierra Leonean pro-government militia - at checkpoints also manned by Guinean army personnel. This could indicate a deterioration in the security climate along the border, Janowski said.
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