Sierra Leone land borders with Guinea and Liberia

Where the main crossings are

The Logistics Cluster publishes border crossing pages for Sierra Leone in its Digital Logistics Capacity Assessment ^2,34. The three pages below carry no publication date, so hours and road times may have changed ^2,34. The Gbalamuya page names Kambia as the nearest town and Port Loko, 61 km away, as the nearest major market ². The Bo Waterside page names Zimmi as the nearest town ³. The Baidu page names Koindu ⁴.

Who works at the border posts

The Logistics Cluster lists the National Revenue Authority as the managing agency at Gbalamuya ². Customs and Immigration are listed there, the Anti-Smuggling Unit takes part in clearance, and a bank works in the same building ². Private cars have a separate lane ². The page says the road from Freetown to Gbalamuya is paved and in good condition ².

At Bo Waterside the National Revenue Authority is again listed as the managing agency ³. The page says the road from Kenema to the border point is very bad and that the trip might take a few days in the rainy season ³. It says vehicles leaving the country pay no fee but need a laissez-passer from Freetown Customs ³.

The Baidu page lists health, customs, immigration, security, police, army, Interpol and intelligence staff at the post ⁴. It says the rainy season affects access from the Sierra Leone side ⁴. The UK government says there will be security personnel at the borders and tells travellers to have their paperwork ready ¹.

New joint border posts

Liberia and Sierra Leone broke ground on the ECOWAS-funded Jendema and Bo Waterside Joint Border Post on 22 November 2025, as reported by Alphanso G. Kalama for The Liberian Investigator ⁵. The report said ECOWAS fully funds the facility and estimates completion within 24 months ⁵. It gave the site as about 81,050 square metres on the Sierra Leone side and 73,250 square metres on the Liberian side ⁵. Planned buildings include customs and inspection areas, warehouses, weighbridges, health services and corridors for people and vehicles ⁵. Liberian officials said the project had started more than four years earlier and had slowed ⁵.

ECOWAS then opened a temporary joint border post at Bo Waterside for use during construction, as reported by Anthony Gray for The Liberian Investigator on 26 August 2026 ⁶. ECOWAS said it would house border security, immigration, customs and other agencies ⁶. The report said the joint security team was expected to move in by the end of August ⁶. Status on that date: the permanent post was under construction and the temporary post was announced as open ⁶.

On the Guinea border, two joint border posts were inaugurated on 3 November 2022 in Falaba District in Sierra Leone and Faranah Prefecture in Guinea, according to the United Nations in Sierra Leone ⁷. The UN Peacebuilding Fund paid for them and IOM supported construction under a project for cattle herders and crop farmers ⁷. IOM donated police patrol motorcycles and VHF radios to border agencies ⁷.

Border areas and disputes

Canada says border areas with Guinea and Liberia see ongoing territorial disputes and related militia and criminal activity, and that land crossings may close with little notice ⁸. Ireland names the long-running dispute with Guinea over Yenga in the east and advises avoiding all but necessary travel to the affected area ⁹. The UK says to be prepared for disruption and short-notice border closures ¹.

Reuters, as reported by Umaru Fofana and the Guinea newsroom, said on 24 February that Guinean forces detained members of a Sierra Leonean joint security team building a border post at Kaliyereh ¹⁰. The year is not shown on the page we viewed ¹⁰. Guinea said it detained 16 Sierra Leonean soldiers who entered its territory without authorisation ¹⁰. Reuters said the dispute dates back to the 1991 to 2002 civil war, when Guinea sent troops to help fight rebels ¹⁰.

Before you cross

• Have your travel documents ready and expect delays or sudden closures ¹.
• Travel in daylight and in convoy where possible, the UK advises for roads outside the Freetown peninsula ¹.
• Canada says you must carry an international driving permit to drive ⁸.
• Ireland advises bringing a full licence, an International Driving Permit and adequate insurance ⁹.
• Seek local advice near the borders and follow political news, Ireland advises ⁹.