The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has directed its Commission to speed up a technical assessment of ongoing and potential border disputes between Liberia and Guinea, particularly along the Lofa County border area.
The directive was contained in the final communiqué of the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, which addressed regional security and border concerns.
According to the communiqué, ECOWAS has instructed its Commission to “fast-track the completion of the ongoing technical assessment” of border friction points along the Liberia-Guinea Lofa border and the Sierra Leone-Guinea Yenga border. The regional body further mandated the Commission to develop recommendations aimed at achieving an “amicable and sustainable settlement” of the disputes.
ECOWAS said it will continue working with the Mano River Union (MRU) Secretariat, the African Union (AU), the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), and other partners to find lasting solutions to border-related disagreements across the Mano River region.
The move comes amid longstanding border concerns among countries within the Mano River corridor, where ECOWAS has emphasized dialogue, cooperation, and peaceful mechanisms as the preferred approach to resolving territorial disputes.
The regional bloc said its intervention is intended to promote stability, strengthen cross-border cooperation, and prevent tensions from escalating among member states.
On the Liberia-Guinea border situation, the ECOWAS Final Communiqué from the 69th Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government stated, “The Authority directs the Commission to fast-track the completion of the ongoing technical assessment of current and potential border friction points along the Liberia-Guinea Lofa border, and the Sierra Leone-Guinea Yenga border. It further directs the Commission to subsequently formulate appropriate recommendations for an amicable and sustainable settlement, and to continue to work closely with the Mano River Union (MRU) Secretariat and other partners and stakeholders, including the AU and the UNOWAS, in pursuit of amicable and sustainable solutions to all border-related disputes along the Mano River corridor.”
