In Summary:
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A post on Facebook claims that Guinean soldiers have been attacked at the Guinea-Mali Border
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We reviewed the video and found it to be mostly correct, but the alleged attack was not by the Malian armed forces or state security officials
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The alleged attack was carried out by Malian Dozos – a group widely known for vigilante activities
On May 18, James Flomo of Spoon TV posted a 50-second video claiming that a Guinean soldier was attacked at the Guinea–Mali border by the Military of Mali. In the video, a man in a military uniform, carrying a firearm, is seen explaining about the reported incident in French.
James shared the video while urging Guinea to “slow down on this territorial debate and develop the territory you have right now.” He further stated that Guinea had “bullied Liberia and Sierra Leone, but other neighbors will not allow you to bully them.”
The video has surfaced amid public concerns about the presence of Guinean soldiers in Lofa County, with some calling for the Government of Liberia to react with military force to remove the Guinean soldiers.
The Claim
James’ exact caption reads: “Guinean Soldier explains how they were attacked at the Guinea-Mali border!
Guinea, in this current geopolitical era, is technically impossible for you to be on three fronts with three of your neighbors. Slow down on this territorial debate and develop the territory you have right now.
Extend friendship to your neighbors and stop the ‘Aggressive Posture.’
You bullied Liberia and Sierra Leone, but other neighbors will not allow you to bully them.
Liberia and Sierra Leone accepted your bullying due to their international positions and what they experienced during their civil wars. Stop 🚫 being aggressive.”
To verify the claim, we first conducted an online search for reports from international media outlets regarding the alleged incident, given its potential regional security significance.
However, we found no major international media reports confirming the event.
We then used several online verification tools to trace the origin of the video. Our findings show that before James Flomo shared the clip, the same video had already been posted online by L’infatigable Napolitain Coulibaly NC, a photographer based in Abidjan, on May 16 at 10:33 p.m.
In his post, Coulibaly stated that: “An altercation reportedly broke out between Guinean soldiers and Malian dozos at the border between Mali and Guinea, in an area already marked by security and community tensions.”
Malian Dozos are traditional hunter brotherhoods in Mali that historically played cultural and community protection roles.
In recent years, some groups have also become involved in local security and armed self-defense activities. However, they are not official state security forces assigned to guard borders like the army, police, or immigration officers.
The same video was also shared by Lenin Diallo, a Facebook user from Guinea, with a caption “The State needs to act.”
𝗞𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 𝗧𝗩, a local online platform of Sierra Leone, also shared the video stating that there is a “face-to-face tense (tension) at the border between Guinean soldiers and Donzos for mining machines but clarified that the Malian army is not involved.
Conclusion
Based on our findings, we conclude that James Flomo’s claim that a Guinean soldier was attacked at the Guinea–Mali border is mostly correct.
However, available reports indicate that the reported confrontation involved Malian Dozos and not official Malian state security forces stationed at the border.
