It is one of 6 edited books on postconflict peacebuilding and natural resource. You will now see a much broader range of information on the site, more attractively presented and more user friendly. The most prevalent natural resource in sierra leone is the diamond. Diamonds that come from conflict areas like those from sierra leone aptly called blood diamonds accounts for about five per cent of global output. Mining in sierra leone is an important source of diamonds, titanium, bauxite and gold, and has one of the worlds largest deposits of rutile. President bio and vice president jalloh together with officials from ministries, departments, and agencies, donated 3 months of their salaries to eliminate school fees for more than 2 million students in primary and secondary education. Alluvial diamond mining continues to be a major source of revenue for the country accounting for almost half of sierra leones exports. These blood diamonds are smuggled out of west africa and sold to legitimate diamond merchants in london, antwerp, and new york, often with the complicity of the international. One survey of diamond miners in the lunda norte province of angola found that 46% of miners were between the ages of 5 and 16. The production at this mining site is about 7 to 10 caratsday of diamond. The centre band of the earth is also known to produce diamonds in countries such as ivory coast and sierra leone in africa, and venezuela and brazil in south america. Government sierra leone is governed under the constitution of 1991 as amended.
Mar 25, 2017 in 1972, just a few years after sierra leone gained its independence from britain, miners unearthed a rare diamond weighing 968. The main technique for recovering the diamonds is alluvial mining. The major focus of the ruf and afrc campaign was to take control of the countrys diamond mines. This increase in production occurred at the same time as the diamond mines in. Pastor discovers 706carat diamond in sierra leone village. Diamonds were found in the early 1930s, from 1934 to 1956 the sierra leone selection trust slst held the monopoly for mining, prospecting for and marketing diamonds throughout sierra leone. Minerals, particularly diamonds, are in fact widely believed to have been one if not the main factor at the root of sierra leones decadelong civil war in the 1990s.
In sierra leone, a glimpse of a fair trade diamond future beth g. The story is interesting fiction, but it is based upon facts. Roy maconachie and simon wharf, author provided ever since diamonds were discovered in sierra leone in the 1930s, they have had a significant impact on the country socially, politically and. Many diamonds are found in river gravels, especially along the sewabafi river system. Mineral resources are fairly well distributed and include diamonds, chromite, and reserves of rutile titanium dioxide that are among the worlds largest. The national diamond mining company diminco also mined diamonds until 1995. And, given the governments history of corruption, why go by the book to sell the gem when so many of the diamonds unearthed in sierra leone wind up on the black market.
Unlike most countries on the continent, however, sierra leone has a long history of mining at the smallscale and artisanal level. The descriptions of the mines and the process is excellent. The following photos document what we saw, and the comments what we learned. Many of those exploited are children, as they are favoured for their smaller hands. The name diamond comes from the greek word, adamas meaning unconquerable. A fortuitous pastor in sierra leone has discovered the second largest diamond ever found in the country, a 706carat hockey puck sized diamond. Fittingly diamonds are made of pure carbon, and diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man. How the wealth from sierra leones diamonds fails to. Both sides in the war, particularly the rebel side, funded their operations with konos. Most of the worlds natural gemquality diamonds are mined in countries where citizens do not purchase a lot of diamond jewelry. This project will enhance our understanding of the structure of small scale and artisanal diamond mining in sierra leone and its impact on the local economy. Mar 21, 2017 this diamond is the second largest ever discovered in sierra leone, with the largest being the 968. Greg campbells book set in sierra leone is an indepth study of the history of diamond mining and the part it plays in fuelling civil wars in africa especially in angola and the democratic republic of congo and in particular the one that ravaged sierra leone for over a decade. The remix version of grammywinning song diamonds from sierra leone performed by american artist kanye west, has verses that detail the blood diamond trade in sierra leone, and comments about the western public unawareness of the origins of the diamonds linked to the conflict.
Diamond mining in africa child labor conflict diamonds. The adjective adamas was used to describe the hardest substance known, and. Aug 31, 2012 millennium mining llc of sierra leone solely operated the alluvial diamond mine in sewa river until 2010, when new yorkbased dolat ventures inc. The resulting civil war lasted 11 years, enveloped. Diamond mining and underdevelopment in sierra leone. If you ever wondered exactly what conflict diamonds are, then this is the book for you.
Then, in 2014, sierra leone was one of three west african countries hit by the ebola epidemic. Unfortunately, poor mining conditions usually accompanied diamond mines throughout history, and blood diamonds came at the tail end of many centuries of miner abuse. Sierra leone fortunes change as diamond trade brings back investment returning multinationals create mining boom in oncewar ravaged country synonymous with brutality and child soldiers published. The epidemic essentially shut down all diamond mining in kono and forced the ddi team in sierra leone to devote itself entirely to ebola prevention. There are powerpoints to lead you through each lesson and an it activity to finish off with. That diamond changed and ended many lives, and the story of that stone carries a strong social message. Forced slavework in the diamond mining industry has existed for the past years in africas sierra leone. However, this quantitative research also fails to account for the relationship between diamonds and the civil war outbreak in sierra leone. The gem was nicknamed the star of sierra leone and was. During sierra leones 10 year civil war, children were used as combatants and labourers in the diamond mines of koidu in the northeastern district of kono. Journalist greg campbell leads the reader down the international diamond trail of brutality, horror, and profit providing an ontheground and in themines story of global consequencefirst discovered in 1930, the diamonds of sierra leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. Diamond smuggling has been a problem since the 1960s, and during the civil war much of the diamondmining area fell into the hands of rebel groups. During sierra leones civil war 19912002, the countrys diamonds became. In the past, all diamond mining in sierra leone had fallen under the control of the sierra leone selection trust or slst a private investor body with exclusive rights to mine diamonds in sierra leone.
Other minerals include bauxite, columbite a black mineral of iron, manganese, and niobium, gold, and platinum. The diamond mines have been the source of corruption and personal gain by government personnel since the 1930s. The independent valuers price book is currently used by the nma. Journalist greg campbell leads the reader down the international diamond trail of brutality, horror, and profit providing an ontheground and inthemines story of global consequencefirst discovered in 1930, the diamonds of sierra leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. African minerals limited, which began mining diamonds in sierra leone in 1996, built its tonkolili mine on what is regarded as one of the largest deposits of magnetite in africa, a type of iron ore.
In 2018, sierra leone made a minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. Organised mining began in the 1920s with bauxite first being recorded in 1920 along the falaba to waia road. The leading consumers of diamond jewelry include the united states, india, china, the european union, japan, hong kong, and the middle east. We will be looking at the overall effects of mining activities on rural livelihoods, involving such diverse aspects as income and wealth, food security, security and social conflict. Usaid has also funded the peace diamond alliance in sierra leone since 2002 to help improve the diamond industry and make sure that profits from the industry improve communities, instead of. Diamonds have played an important role in the political economy of sierra leone, as was highlighted by the use of conflict or blood diamonds. The curse of diamond mining in sierra leone the website of a foreignowned diamond mining company in sierra leone states, our diamonds doing good. The most important areas of diamond mining are in the east and southeast of the country, in particular, kono district, which produces more diamonds than other areas of sierra leone. Blood diamonds and millions of other books are available for instant access. The company consults for governments in liberia, guinea, angola and sierra leone. Therefore at the height of the crisis it founded a joint venture with strasser for diamond mining and received large mining concessions in the kono region near koidu. The process of mining diamonds is done in two ways. A third independent party, diamond counsellor international dci, is used to advise and check the pricing of diamonds alongside octea and the government of sierra leone. Much earlier in the same book he suggested yet another.
Dec 08, 2006 under the laws of sierra leonewhich sankoh was charged with upholdingevery diamond mined in the country must be brought to a government gold and diamond office to be weighed, classified, and. The website of a foreignowned diamond mining company in sierra leone states, our diamonds doing good. The mining industry of sierra leone accounted for 4. Follow our progress as we demonstrate that responsible and sustainable diamond mining can and will elevate and empower the people, the economy, and the. Nov 23, 2012 sierra leone s blood diamonds helped fuel atrocities in the impoverished west african nation in the 1990s. Follow our progress as we demonstrate that responsible and sustainable diamond mining can and will elevate and empower the people.
Branch energy was relatively new in sierra leone and, unlike many competitors, keen to expand its presence. Sierra leones diamonds still a source of contention. The war has now been over for a decade, and the countrys most valuable resource is no. Sierra leone has a rich supply of natural resources including diamonds, iron ore, gold, titanium ore, bauxite, and chromite. This is a collection of resources that were already out there, including ideas from juicy geography and global eye. Freetown, sierra leone the recent find of a mammoth diamond the size of a hockey puck has everyone in this small west african nation wondering how big a. In some areas of africa, children make up more than a small part of the workforce.
Together, these minerals comprise about threequarters of the countrys total export revenue. By the mid1950s and 1960s, illegal and illicit mining had taken over large areas of. Bbc news africa children working in sierra leone mines. Sierra leone launches online mining database to increase. In sierra leone, miners have littered the landscape with thousands of abandoned. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. How the diamond trade is enslaving millions of africans. Another latest conflict diamond statistic from statistic brain, revealed that sierra leone has been listed as second highest in the production of conflict diamonds, which is shown as 1% of the worlds production, after angola, which produced 2. Many of these kids are kidnapped by bogus african cartels or abused by the government of the revolutionary united ront ruf. So, without further ado, an inside look at one of the countrys most important and influential industries. Dakar, senegal fistsize and lumpy, the rock that a team of miners came upon recently in the diamond fields of sierra leone was orange with red speckles that looked like tiny droplets of palm oil. In sierra leone diamond sale, echoes of corruption and. Before ebola was contained last year, it claimed about 4,000 lives. Civil war in sierra leone and the role of blood diamonds.
Feb 01, 2012 sierra leone s mining industry has a long history of unregulated operations, most notably the blood diamonds that were found to be partially responsible for fuelling the countrys 11year civil war. Mining methods range from mechanical grab lines with washing and separator plants to crude hand digging and panning. Sadly, aggressive mining became popular during colonization of africa by countries like france, the u. They are searching for diamonds they will carry the dirt and sift it by hand, shovel, water and little. Diamond mining in botswana southern africa is one of the largest diamond manufacturing regions. These blood diamonds are smuggled out of west africa and sold to legitimate diamond merchants in london, antwerp, and new york, often with the complicity of the international diamond industry. First discovered in 1930, the diamonds of sierra leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. Sierra leones war over conflict diamonds began in march 1991 when a few hundred men crossed over the liberian border and attacked towns in eastern and southern sierra leone. Image by chris hondrosgetty images despite this, it is thought that the first diamond mines were in india and could have been mined about 8,000 years ago. The curse of diamond mining in sierra leone sierra leone. Diamond mining along with other mineral mining has accounted for a significant slice of exports and government. In sierra leone, a glimpse of a fair trade diamond future.
Most of the diamond extraction in sierra leone is alluvial diamond mining. The main minerals mined in sierra leone are diamonds, rutile, bauxite, gold. The men work all day in flipflops in sweltering heat. A journey to the heart of an obsession with the journey of a spectacular 81carat pink diamond, from the garimpeiros who plucked it from brazils abaete river in 1999 until its disappearance into the hands of a private collector. The movie blood diamond traces the path of a large pink diamond found in sierra leone in the 1990s by a fisherman working as a slave in a rebelcontrolled diamond mine. They are searching for diamonds they will carry the dirt and sift it. The growth impacts of diamond mining in sierra leone igc. The sierra leonean diamond funded the most notorious, brutal, animalistic and cynical rebel groups ever to have been known in the history of mankind and warfare. Sierra leones leading trade partners are belgium, germany, the united states, and cote divoire. Sierra leone is a source, transit, and destination country for children trafficked for forced labor in domestic work, granite and diamond mining, and begging. Other minerals include bauxite, columbite a black mineral of iron, manganese, and niobium, gold.
The sierra leone civil war 19912002 was a civil war in sierra leone that began on 23 march 1991 when the revolutionary united front ruf, with support from the special forces of charles taylors national patriotic front of liberia npfl, intervened in sierra leone in an attempt to overthrow the joseph momoh government. There are iron ore reserves, but these are no longer commercially mined. Kono also refered to as koidu is located in the eastern part of sierra leone, and it is the diamond center of the country. A diamond mining pit in kono district in sierra leone a sierra leonean writer captures is best. By the mid1950s and 1960s, illegal and illicit mining had taken over large areas of production. Diamond mining also contributes to public health problems. The sex trade thrives in many diamond mining towns, leading to the spread of hiv and other sexually transmitted diseases. Findings on the worst forms of child labor sierra leone. Freetown the government of sierra leone and a mining company that is the countrys largest private employer have undermined villagers access to food and prevented workers from. National diamond mining company sierra leonean company. Dec, 2005 sierra leones war over conflict diamonds began in march 1991 when a few hundred men crossed over the liberian border and attacked towns in eastern and southern sierra leone. Other articles where national diamond mining company is discussed. Sierra leones mining industry has a long history of unregulated operations, most notably the blood diamonds that were found to be partially responsible for fuelling the countrys 11year civil war.
First discovered in 1930, the diamonds of sierra leone have funded one of the most. Jan 23, 2017 blood diamond history often involves countries like sierra leone. Sierra leone fortunes change as diamond trade brings back investment returning multinationals create mining boom in oncewar ravaged country synonymous with. Mar 30, 20 the following photos document what we saw, and the comments what we learned. For more fascinating facts about the mining industry and history of the diamond rush in south africa visit the cape town diamond museum. Jan 02, 2017 1st documentary movie on the origin of ccp virus, tracking down the origin of the wuhan coronavirus duration. List of books and articles about sierra leone history. War for diamonds executive outcomes in sierra leone. Freelance journalist campbell here writes about the. Environmental devastation resulting from diamond mining is another cause of disease. For children trapped in the diamond mines, life is full of hardship.
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