Yenga Explained

Yenga
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Sierra Leone
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Sierra Leone
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Sierra Leone
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Eastern Province
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Kailahun
Subdivision Type3:Chiefdom
Subdivision Name3:Kissi Teng
Leader Title:Village Chief
Leader Name:Tamba Nyuma
Population As Of:2012 estimate
Population Total:100
Timezone:GMT
Utc Offset:0
Coordinates:8.4992°N -10.3314°W

Yenga[1] is a village in Kissi Teng Chiefdom, Kailahun District in the Eastern province of Sierra Leone. The village is at the international border between Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Yenga is located on a hill above the south side of the confluence of the Mafissia River and the Makona River (Moa River), where that river forms the border between the two countries.[2] The area is inhabited by the Kissi people.[3] In July 2012 Sierra Leone and Guinea declared the demilitarization of the Yenga area.[4] [5] The large majority of the inhabitants of Yenga are members of the Kissi ethnic group.

History

Prior to the late 1990s Yenga was a small fishing village. However, after occupation by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), alluvial diamonds were discovered in the Makona River.[6] Mining and agriculture[7] have replaced fishing as the major economic activity.

In 2001, during Sierra Leone’s civil war, the Republic of Guinea sent troops into Yenga to help the army of Sierra Leone suppress the rebel RUF. After the rebels were quashed, the Guinean soldiers remained in Yenga. Prior to the civil war Yenga was administered by the Kailahun District of Sierra Leone.[8] In 2002 Sierra Leone and Guinea signed an agreement than Yenga would be returned to Sierra Leone, as soon as Guinea's border could be secured. In 2005 Sierra Leone and Guinea signed an agreement that Yenga belonged to Sierra Leone.[9] The dispute was officially "resolved" in 2019 when President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah announced that "Conakry has now affirmed that Yenga is a part of Sierra Leone".[10] However, in early 2021, President Julius Maada Bio reported to the 58th Ecowas summit that "The issue remains unresolved and our Guinean counterparts have continued to encroach on Sierra Leone's land and sea borders".[11]

Notes

Notes and References

  1. , United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
  2. Book: Guinea - Sierra Leone Boundary. International Boundary Study, No. 136. 2 July 1973. The Geographer, Office of the Geographer, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, United States Department of State. https://web.archive.org/web/20030923222058/http://www.law.fsu.edu/library/collection/limitsinseas/IBS136.pdf. 23 September 2003. live.
  3. Web site: Gberie, Lansana. 3 September 2009. The Guinea - Sierra Leone border dispute: Time for ECOWAS to intervene. Pambazuka News.
  4. News: 28 July 2012. Sierra Leone: Guinea, Sierra Leone Demilitarize Yenga. All Africa.
  5. News: Guinea-Sierra Leone 'deal' to end Yenga dispute. 2 August 2012. BBC News.
  6. Yenga, is a village within Sierra Leone believed to have huge deposits of diamonds News: 30 March 2006. Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone sign Makona River Union communiqué. The Analyst. Monrovia, Liberia.
  7. Bawoh, Cheik. The Yenga Conflict Hinders Border Economic Prospects / Le Conflit de Yenga Gêne des Perspectives Économiques aux Frontières. 1 January 2008. Borderlands. World Bank. 1. 1. 1 - 2; 18 - 20.
  8. Web site: Konneh, Mohamed. 5 June 2012. Guinea returns disputed Yenga to Sierra Leone July. West Africa Democracy Radio (WADR).
  9. In 2005, tensions were quelled with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries: Yenga belonged to Sierra Leone and the Makona belonged to Guinea. News: Bangura, Abdul Karim. 29 December 2011. The occupation of Yenga by Guinean Troops. Expotimes. Freetown, Sierra Leone.
  10. Web site: Fofana. Umaru. 2019-05-09. Sierra Leone, Guinea "resolve" dispute over border town of Yenga. 2021-09-25.
  11. Web site: Milne. Nicky. 2021-01-24. Sierra Leone Says Guinea Encroaching On Its Territory. 2021-09-25.