AYV News, May 15, 2025
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Morie Lengor has confirmed that the Guinean authorities have closed their border at Yenga, thereby affecting local trade.
He said currently, the situation in Yenga is calm and that to support residents, the government has provided food assistance and is working with private businesses to market their agricultural products domestically.
Minister Lengor emphasised that Sierra Leone is committed to resolving the Yenga dispute through peaceful diplomacy, while calling on all Sierra Leoneans to promote peace and resist any calls for conflict, asserting that “war is not an option.”
Addressing issues of lawlessness and indiscipline, Minister Lengor cited traffic congestion and noise pollution in Freetown as major concerns. He revealed plans for a national conversation involving stakeholders to address urban disorder. He said the ministry’s goal is to make Sierra Leone the most peaceful and safest country in the world.
For her part, Chairperson of the African Women Leaders Network, Valnora Edwin, said successive governments have failed to establish visible state infrastructure in Yenga, undermining claims of ownership. She called for the erection of a permanent marker or structure to signal sovereignty once a resolution is reached.
On the issue of indiscipline in the capital, Edwin attributed the problem to weak law enforcement and poor urban planning. She urged the authorities to enforce laws decisively as a strategy to curb lawlessness in Freetown.
