-Why Was Border Crisis Left Out?
Courtesy: Smartnews online
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai went before the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly and delivered a wide-ranging address on global peace, preventive diplomacy, West African security, transnational crime, climate change, international finance and reform of the United Nations.
But there was one major issue affecting Liberia’s own national and regional security that was conspicuously absent from the President’s published speech: The Sorlumbah border dispute with Guinea.
The omission is significant because Sorlumbah, in Foya District, Lofa County, has been the subject of government statements, security concerns and high-level diplomatic engagements between Liberia, Guinea and other regional leaders during 2026.
Yet when President Boakai addressed world leaders on September 24, there was no specific mention of Sorlumbah, the Liberia-Guinea border disagreement, the reported checkpoint confrontation, or the diplomatic efforts undertaken by his administration to address the situation.
That raises a fundamental question: why did President Boakai choose not to tell the United Nations about one of Liberia’s most sensitive border and security issues?
The omission becomes more striking when the content of the President’s speech is examined.
Boakai told the International Community that prevention must be at the center of international peace and security. He emphasized preventive diplomacy, mediation and early warning as essential tools for preventing conflict.
He also spoke about Liberia’s role as a member of the UN Security Council and the evolving security threats confronting West Africa. His speech specifically referenced transnational crime, cyber warfare and illicit narcotic trafficking along maritime corridors in the Gulf of Guinea.
But there was no corresponding discussion of the border tensions between Liberia and Guinea at Sorlumbah.
The President therefore spoke broadly about preventing conflict and strengthening security across West Africa without explaining to the international community how Liberia was dealing with a sensitive border dispute on its own territory.
Sorlumba was not a new or an obscure matter when President Boakai arrived at the United Nations. In March, the Liberian Government publicly acknowledged heightened concerns along the Liberian-Guinea border, particularly around Sorlumbar.
The Ministry of Information said the Joint Security was monitoring the situation and that the government had dispatched a delegation to Guinea.
The issue eventually reached the highest diplomatic level, with President Boakai and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio traveling to Conakry to meet Guinean President Mamady Doumbouya.
The Liberian government said the three leaders reaffirmed the inviolability of borders and territorial integrity and called for a return to peaceful coexistence.
n August, Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah acknowledged renewed tension at the Sorlumbah border.
According to the government, the tension involved a disagreement between Guinean military personnel and Liberia’s Joint Security over the location of checkpoints in a buffer zone.
The government said representatives of the two countries met and subsequently agreed to remain calm and exercise restraint while diplomatic efforts continue.
Piah said the National Security Council was monitoring the situation and that diplomatic redress was being pursued. The government has characterized the situation as peaceful, calm and stable.
