Monrovia – The dispute over the Solumba border area, which Liberia claims as part of its territory, resurfaced during a recent session of the ECOWAS Parliament. Dr. Dansa Kourouma, Guinea’s representative to the regional body and speaker of Guinea’s National Transitional Council, asserted that Guinea will “protect” the contested land, prompting a sharp response from Liberia’s delegation.
Senator Edwin M. Snowe, who leads Liberia’s ECOWAS Parliament delegation and represents Bomi County, raised the issue on Tuesday, questioning why Guinean troops remain on what he described as Liberian soil. According to Snowe, Dr. Kourouma replied in French that the area belongs to Guinea and that his country would defend it. The Guinean lawmaker also alleged that Liberian forces had killed Guineans during Liberia’s civil war, both inside and outside Liberia’s borders.
Snowe recounted the exchange: “I asked the Guinean representative when they would withdraw from our land. He said, ‘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.’” He added that the accusation about wartime killings was part of the same response.
The Liberian senator also addressed domestic concerns about the handling of two separate matters – the Solumba dispute and a parliamentary controversy involving Montserrado County District 10 Representative Yekeh Kolubah. Snowe apologized to observers who felt the delegation’s official report to the ECOWAS Parliament omitted these issues. “As head of the delegation, I take full responsibility for the report. We did not mention the matter of Yekeh,” he 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.”
Snowe explained that the delegation’s reporting process differs from that of many other parliaments. A desk officer, Benedict Roberts, prepares a draft report that is circulated for review before submission. The draft typically focuses on national developments across sectors rather than internal legislative disputes. Because the clerk who compiles the report is a non‑partisan professional, Snowe said, contentious political issues such as the Solumba border and the Kolubah matter were excluded.
A Nigerian delegate, speaking after Liberia’s presentation, warned that the border issue had previously brought the region close to conflict and expressed disappointment that it was not highlighted again in the current report. Snowe said the Liberian government has not issued a new statement on the matter and that he cannot comment further until the Ministry of Information provides an update.
“The delegation did not have a unanimous position on the Yekeh issue, so we could not speak to it. We have divided views,” Snowe concluded.
The exchange underscores lingering tensions between Liberia and Guinea over the Solumba area and highlights the challenges faced by ECOWAS parliamentary delegations in presenting cohesive positions on sensitive cross‑border disputes. Observers will be watching whether the two countries move toward diplomatic negotiations or whether the rhetoric escalates into further confrontation.
