Monrovia — Guinea's representative to the ECOWAS Parliament, Dr. Dansa Kourouma--also Speaker of Guinea's National Transitional Council, has struck a combative tone at the regional body, declaring that Guinea will "protect" the disputed Solumba border area, which Liberia says lies within its territory.
Speaking on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, the head of Liberia's delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament and Bomi County Senator Edwin M. Snowe said the issue surfaced during debates, prompting him to ask why Guinean troops remain on what he described as Liberian soil.
According to Senator Snowe, Dr. Kourouma responded that the land belongs to Guinea and vowed it would be protected. Snowe further claimed the Guinean lawmaker accused Liberians of killing Guineans during Liberia's civil conflict, both inside and outside Liberia.
"I asked the Guinean representative to ECOWAS: a few months ago, you came on our land, when are you leaving?" Snowe recounted. "He told me, 'We never wanted to put this in our report, but since you brought it up, we will answer you. That land belongs to us, and we will protect it.'
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He went on to say that during the Liberian war, rebels killed Guineans in and outside of Liberia, and so they will take their land and protect it," the senator quoted. Snowe said the response was delivered in French and could be translated.
Snowe also addressed public concerns about the House of Representatives' action involving Montserrado County District #10 Representative Yekeh Kolubah, as well as questions about why the Liberia-Guinea border situation was not included in the delegation's formal report to the ECOWAS Parliament. He apologized to those who felt the omission was troubling.
"As head of the delegation, I take full responsibility for the report. We did not mention the matter of Yekeh," Snowe said. "We have to find a way to give the Legislature the space and flexibility to do its job. When you mention it, you are lashed at; when you don't, it is still a problem."
On the absence of the Kolubah and border matters from the report, Snowe said each country follows its own reporting system. He noted that in many parliaments, a clerk assigned to committees compiles reports for debate, while members provide input during floor discussions.
He explained that Liberia's delegation relies on a desk officer, Benedict Roberts, who prepares the draft report and uploads it to a chat forum for review ahead of presentation.
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However, Snowe said the desk officer's reporting typically focuses on national developments across sectors rather than on internal legislative politics.
Snowe said the report was submitted late but was "very good." He maintained that the Solumba border dispute and the Kolubah matter were left out because the clerk, as a non-partisan professional, does not engage in legislative controversies.
The senator added that after Liberia's presentation, a Nigerian representative observed that the region nearly slid into conflict when Liberia previously raised the border issue, and expressed disappointment that Liberia did not highlight the matter again in its current report.
"The Government is not saying anything, so I cannot speak to it because I don't have an update," Snowe said. "I cannot speak on it before the Ministry of Information comes after me again. When I spoke about issues surrounding the speakership saga, I was lashed out at--they wanted me revoked and replaced. The delegation did not have a unanimous position on the Yekeh issue, so we could not speak to it. We have divided views," he concluded.
