Guinean Soldiers Open Fire, Recapture Disputed Border Area in Foya, Liberian Injured

FOYA DISTRICT, Lofa County -- Tensions along the Liberia-Guinea border escalated Wednesday after Guinean soldiers opened fire into Liberian territory in Sorlumba Clan, injuring a Liberian citizen and recapturing a disputed area where they have now rehoisted their national flag.

Foya Statutory District Commissioner B. Njamilah S. Bornguoi confirmed the incident to The Liberian Investigator, saying Guinean troops fired multiple gunshots across the border, striking a Liberian man in the thigh.

The injured resident was rushed to Foya Boma Hospital, where medical personnel have stabilized him and are providing treatment, according to local authorities.

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Bornguoi said the Guinean soldiers have since returned to the disputed location, taken control of the area, and rehoisted the Guinean flag, further heightening tensions in the border community that has been at the center of a territorial dispute over the past several days.

According to the commissioner, the shooting reportedly began after Guinean soldiers escorted a group of Guinean civilians toward the disputed area, with the civilians allegedly seeking revenge over claims that Guinean soldiers had earlier been molested by Liberians.

Local sources said the situation deteriorated when Liberian youths attempted to prevent the Guinean civilians, who were being escorted by Guinean troops, from crossing into the Liberian side of the border. In the confrontation that followed, Guinean soldiers reportedly responded with gunfire.

While the exact circumstances surrounding the incident are still being verified, Bornguoi said the latest development follows threats made by Guinean soldiers on Tuesday after they were compelled to remove a Guinean flag that had been raised in the contested area.

According to Bornguoi, the soldiers warned at the time that they would return and that their actions would be "unpredictable."

"What has happened today appears connected to the warning they issued yesterday," the commissioner said.

Residents in the border community are reportedly alarmed as the situation remains tense, with local authorities closely monitoring developments and awaiting possible intervention by Liberian security forces and diplomatic channels.

The Liberia-Guinea boundary in Sorlumba Clan, Foya District, has recently become a flashpoint amid competing claims over the border line, raising concerns about the potential for further escalation if the situation is not swiftly addressed through diplomatic engagement.

Read the original article on Liberian Investigator.