| Sierra Leone Diamond History | | | | occurrence. |
| | | | |
| Sierra Leone diamonds are well-known among | | | | All this was unknown to - or perhaps ignored |
| the jewelry world to be one of the best | | | | by - the outside world for many years. UN |
| quality diamonds available today. This is | | | | studies estimate that about $125 million |
| perhaps the main reason that blood diamonds | | | | worth of rough diamonds were bought by the |
| have wreaked the havoc they have had over so | | | | diamond industry in Europe alone! Imagine |
| many years. The first diamond was found in | | | | this much money being used by the RUF to fund |
| Sierra Leone in the 1930s. Since then, a | | | | their grotesque activities in Sierra Leone. |
| story of brutality and violence has unfolded | | | | The equivalent of this money is tens of |
| in this small West African country. In 1968, | | | | thousands of people killed and even more |
| Siaka Stevens became the prime minister of | | | | hurt. |
| Sierra Leone. Recognizing the value of their | | | | |
| diamonds, he made a large profit out of | | | | It was only in 1999 that the UN deployed a |
| illegal diamond mining and trading. In the | | | | mission to Sierra Leone to deal with the |
| ensuing years, more and more diamonds were | | | | problem of Sierra Leone Conflcit Diamonds. |
| being exported illegally rather than through | | | | Since then, sanctions have been put in place |
| legal means. Most of these transactions were | | | | so as to curb such illegal activities. The |
| overseen by Stevens'' right hand man Jamil | | | | Kimberly Process Certification Scheme |
| Mohammed, a Lebanese. | | | | requires a paper trail that certifies the |
| | | | origin of rough diamonds. This aims to cut |
| Sierra Leone blood diamonds | | | | off the flow of diamonds from countries like |
| | | | Sierra Leone. |
| In 1991, Sierra Leone was thrown into more | | | | |
| trouble as the rebel group Revolutionary | | | | The question that remains to be answered |
| United Front (RUF) launched assaults against | | | | today is whether the paper trail that |
| the government. A military government was set | | | | accompanies each diamond shipment is for |
| up yet proved to be ineffective against the | | | | real. Certificates can be forged. |
| RUF's attacks. From the very beginning, the | | | | |
| RUF found an ally in neighboring Liberia. | | | | Rough diamonds can be smuggled into a |
| Their goal was officially to combat crime and | | | | "clean" country. After that, there |
| corruption but it soon became clear that | | | | would be no way of knowing where the gems |
| their main aim was to take control of the | | | | came from. There is always a willing market |
| diamond mines. | | | | somewhere in another country. Traders and |
| | | | buyers don't always ask questions. They are |
| Preying on civilians, the RUF would take | | | | just happy to buy and line their pockets. In |
| prisoners and enslave them to work in the | | | | an area rife with suffering and poverty, |
| diamond mines. This was no fun thing for the | | | | there is always an official who would be |
| civilians as their work conditions were | | | | willing to accept bribes. All it takes is one |
| horrible and they were punished for the | | | | person to overlook a shipment of blood |
| slightest things. Anyone opposed to the RUF's | | | | diamonds. For all we know, there might still |
| methods and practices would be brutally | | | | be a steady flow of rough conflict diamonds |
| punished. Amputation was not an uncommon | | | | coming from the mines of Sierra Leone today. |