By Festus Poquie
Liberia’s government signaled on state radio that it may resort to irregular warfare to expel Guinean forces that have occupied parts of its northern frontier, Vice President Jeremiah Koung said.
Speaking on Radio ELBC in Monrovia, Vice President Jeremiah Koung suggested the government could reactivate one of West Africa’s most notorious non-state armed groups, disbanded nearly two decades after the end of a civil war that killed more than 300,000 people.
Such irregular military units would rely on hit-and-run tactics rather than conventional large-scale operations to push back against Guinean troops.
“I’m hearing people saying Guinea have a huge military force, Liberia can’t make it [to go to war with Guinea]. We got fighting force here beside the Army that I can’t name here – two, three men can move and capture whole city in some country. it happened here and we know that” he said.
The remarks come after Guinean soldiers crossed into Sorlumba in Lofa County’s Foya District in March and have remained in parts of Liberian territory for more than a month, heightening security concerns in Monrovia.
Critics say President Joseph Boakai’s administration has done too little to force a Guinean withdrawal.
Liberia’s regular armed forces are small — roughly 2,000 personnel — and lack sophisticated air defense and conventional capabilities that observers say Guinea possesses.
Prior to the incursion, Boakai announced a plan to expand the Armed Forces of Liberia to about 4,000 troops by the end of 2029, with a four-year recruitment drive set to add about 600 personnel annually beginning in 2026.
Koung’s comments invoked bitter memories of Liberia’s civil wars (1989–2003), when factions including the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, LURD and MODEL fought brutal campaigns that involved child combatants and widespread atrocities. More than 100,000 combatants were disarmed and demobilized after the conflict, and security responsibilities were transferred to a reformed national army and police.
Human rights activists and opposition politicians condemned the vice president’s statements. Cllr. Taiwan Gongloe called the remarks “reckless, irresponsible and inflammatory,” warning they could further destabilize an already fragile regional security environment.
Monrovia has said little publicly about which diplomatic or security measures it is pursuing to resolve the border standoff.
International partners and regional bodies have in the past played roles in mediating cross border disputes in West Africa. It was not immediately clear whether Liberia had sought such intervention in the current episode.
