Yenga must return to Sierra Leone …….Youth Coalition demand

By Maddieu A A T Kabbah

As the issues of Yenga as become very much concern for every Sierra Leonean the national youth coalition which is a network of various youth organizations in the country has been monitoring the activities within and outside the periphery of Yenga territory for the past decade.

The coalition in 2008 organized a two days consultative conference in Freetown in order to arrive at strategies at ending the occupation of Yenga by troops from Guinea. However, we were assured by the government of the day that Yenga will be liberated peacefully.

According to the President of the national youth Coalition Ishmeal Al-Sankoh said  Friday the 27^th of July 2012 was the  day we really conceded to the fact that Yenga was under illegal occupation by our sister country when the two government signed a joint declaration for the demilitarization of the disputed border town. “ We also believed as a coalition that Sierra Leone was never in any dispute with any country over Yenga because it belongs to our territorial sovereignty”.

He said  the National Youth Coalition viewed this communiqué which bears the signature of the two Foreign Affairs Ministers as a timely document which emphasizes on the common heritage of co existence and mutual respect for identical customs and traditions. The coalition commend  government for accepting and working with the principle and spirit contained under the Lagos Protocol of Non aggression of 22^nd April 1978 under ARTICLE 4 of the revised treaty of ECOWAS which condemned aggression between member states.

The coalition also commended HE Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma and his government for the peaceful patient demonstrated in line with article 3 of the African Union charter which provides for sovereign equality of all member states, inalienable right to independent existence and the peaceful settlement of disputes by negotiation, mediation and conciliation or arbitration.

As President of the National Youth Coalition they are  calling on each and every Sierra Leonean including civil society organisations to fully support the government on this monumental achievement and we urged our Youth Coalition counterfeit in Guinea to prevail on their government to withdraw from Yenga before August ending. Subsequently, the coalition has decided to visit Yenga on the 10^th of August 2012 as a focus drive that will complement the achievement of government.

He the coalition will soon pay  a visit to the Guniea Ambassador to express our profound gratitude to the government of Guinea for upholding Article 58 of the revised treaty of ECOWAS to safeguard and consolidate relations, to maintain peace and security within the region and to establish and strengthen appropriate mechanism for timely prevention and resolution of conflicts.