Diamonds From Sierra Leone: A History Of
Violence
Author: David Faulkner
Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa that has suffered
severely due to continuous rebel activities from 1991-2002. This
nation relies heavily on its mining activities – diamond mining
in particular – but progress has been particularly slow because
of corruption and civil uprisings.
Diamonds from Sierra Leone are controversial because a number
of them are not actually legal. Not all of the annually produced
diamonds, worth around $250-300 million, are channeled through
legal conduits because many are smuggled. These so-called "blood
diamonds" are widely known to be used to finace illicit
activities such as laundering.
In 2001, the United States put an embargo on diamonds from
Sierra Leone. Starting from the 1990s, the diamonds from Sierra
Leone have been used to fund the RUF, or the Revolutionary
United Front – led by Corporal Foday Sankoh.
Sierra Leone had its first diamonds mined in 1935. More than 1
million carats were harvested within two years following the
first discovery, and over 55 million carats were mined by the
company DeBeers between the years 1930 and 1998.
DeBeers, the only company granted mining rights by the Sierra
Leone government until 1955, have been mining and distributing
diamonds from Sierra Leone exclusively since the year it turned
out its first diamond.
In the movie Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio,
allegedly pressured the film's producers into issuing a
disclaimer stating that the events depicted in the film are
fictional, but the company has denied this.
Diamonds from Sierra Leone have reportedly been spirited out
illegally by 75,000 miners in 1955. In that same year, the new
administration put an end to the DeBeers monopoly of the
diamonds from Sierra Leone trade and allowed other companies to
move in.
When insurgency broke out in the 1990s, rebel forces were
reportedly getting funding for their activities by stealing
diamonds. Thus, the term "blood diamonds."
Unstoppable killings
The diamond trade continued to fund the RUF rebels who pursued
their uprisings against the government. Despite an agreement
between the RUF head and the government, the bloodshed went on.
To put a stop to the anarchy, the United Nations then issued a
directive that nobody could buy diamonds from Sierra Leone
legally.
There were a few countries such as Liberia, however, which
continued the trading of diamonds from Sierra Leone. It was a
profitable underground business, and these unscrupulous
individuals didn't care about the repercussions, as long as they
gained financially from their nefarious activities.
The diamonds from Sierra Leone were sold on the open market in
Liberia, until this neighboring nation exported over four times
the amount of their own diamond production – including them in
the blood diamonds supplier list. For more info see
http://www.topdiamondsguide
on white diamonds symbolize.
At present, certifications are issued to distinguish legally
traded diamonds from the diamonds from Sierra Leone. These
Certificates are made to ensure that no one, as a buyer, would
be supporting the killings that have been ravaging the nation.
This directive, however, is not foolproof and has not totally
stemmed the illegal diamond trade from Sierra Leone.
About The Author: You can also find more info on
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on manufactured diamonds and
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