By Staff Writer | Smart News Liberia
MONROVIA – Veteran human rights lawyer Tiawan Saye Gongloe has issued a stern warning to both Liberia and Guinea regarding recent tensions along the Makona River, emphasizing that national sovereignty must never be traded for minerals. In a detailed post on his official Facebook page on Thursday, March 19, 2025, Gongloe underscored the historic bonds between the two nations and called for responsible diplomacy and legal clarity.
“The spirits of President Ahmed Sékou Touré and President William V. S. Tubman will never allow Guinea and Liberia to fight,” Gongloe wrote, reminding Liberians that the relationship between the two countries is rooted in sacrifice, restraint, and African solidarity.
Reflecting on his personal experience, Gongloe recounted his role in 1992 as a presidential envoy sent by Interim President Amos C. Sawyer to engage Sierra Leone and Guinea in Liberia’s peace process. He emphasized the enduring gratitude Guinea owed Liberia, noting that even when France offered support to Liberia to reclaim disputed territories, President Tubman refused to engage in bloodshed.
“Even if all ECOMOG troop-contributing countries withdrew from Liberia, Guinea would remain until Liberia found peace because Guinea would never forget Liberia’s sacrifice,” Gongloe quoted a Guinean Foreign Minister from that era, highlighting the sacred history that now frames the current tensions.
Recent reports indicate that Guinean security forces allegedly crossed into Liberian territory and removed the Liberian flag, actions that Gongloe says, if confirmed, “raise serious sovereignty concerns and must be addressed firmly but diplomatically.”
However, he also cautioned that patriotism must be grounded in facts. Unverified reports suggest that mining activities may have occurred from the Liberian side of the Makona River without Guinea’s consent. Gongloe emphasized that such actions would violate both international watercourse law and the Mining Law of Liberia.
“No company, no interest group, and no official is greater than the sovereignty of the Republic of Liberia,” he asserted. Gongloe commended President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for suspending mining activities in the disputed area but stressed that suspension alone is insufficient. “There must be a transparent and independent investigation into the source of this dispute,” he said.
Gongloe was clear that anyone found violating Liberian law or international obligations, including government officials, must face accountability. “If any government official is implicated in conduct that undermined Liberia’s sovereignty, that official should be dismissed without hesitation,” he stated.
At the same time, Gongloe called on both nations to remember their shared history and to resolve disputes through diplomacy and respect for the law. He stressed that the Makona River should serve as a symbol of cooperation, not confrontation.
Concluding his message, Gongloe invoked the legacies of Presidents Touré and Tubman, urging Presidents Mamady Doumbouya and Boakai to prioritize peace over provocation. “Between Guinea and Liberia: Peace before! Peace now! Peace forever!” he declared, framing the current dispute as both a test of leadership and a reminder of the enduring bonds that unite the two nations.
