Sierra Leone: Blood Diamonds
I. A brief recent history of Sierra Leone and Liberia
1. Thought to be responsible for destruction of Liberia 1980-90
2. Backed by Nigeria
3. 1990-1998 Economic Community of West African States (Military Observers Group) (ECOWAS (ECOMOG)) supervised a ‘cease fire’ in Liberia
4. Doe Executed in August, 1990
B. Charles Taylor lead rebellion against Samuel Doe
1. Initially backed by francophone countries Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso
2. Taylor cut a deal with Nigeria’s Sani Abacha after Doe’s execution
3. The Abuja Agreements (August 1995 and August 1996) brought about a cease fire in Liberia
4. Taylor elected President of Liberia in 1997
a. 1997-1999 ECOWAS(ECMOG) supervised a ‘cease fire’ in Sierra Leone
b. 1999 ECOWAS(ECOMOG) withdrew from Sierra Leone, and was to be replaced by an Nigerian UN observer/peace enforcement group
1. backed by Charles Taylor
2. funded by diamond sales
3. lead by Foday Sankoh and Sam Bokarie
4. Controls the eastern two-thirds of the country, including the principle areas of diamond mining.
II. 2001: Sierra Leone’s legitimate government is lead by President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, and controls the western third of the country.
A. The role of diamonds in the civil war of Sierra Leone
1. Illegal mining is done by both members of the RUF and the Kamajors, a pro-government militia of “tribal hunters” (New York Times, January 2001), as well as by “legitimate miners. The government does not have the means to provide a license to the miners.
2. Diamonds are sold by all groups of miners to dealers in Kenema. The dealers include Lebanese, Guineans, Nigerians, and Gambians who in turn sell them to licensed dealers in Freetown, who export the gems.
B. July 2000 United Nations bans exports of Sierra Leone diamonds that are not certified by the present government
C. September, 2000 Sierra Leone introduces scheme to certify diamond
1. Scheme sponsored by Seirra Leone and United Kingdom
2. Every packet of diamonds leaving Sierra Leone is to be accompanied by a “numbered, tamper-proof certificate printed in the UK and paid for by the British government” (Guardian Weekly, September 30, 2000)
3. Lists carats of diamonds and value
4. Includes tear-off portions to track stones after packet is opened
5. Certificates issued by government office in Freetown
6. Governments and four diamond dealers in Belgium, US, and Israel have agreed to this process.
7. DeBeers declined to particpate, recently acquited by Anglo-American Company, owned by the Oppenheimer family.
8. If Antwerp enforces the ban rigorously, it is expected that some business will transfer to Tel Aviv
D. February 14, 2001 Amnesty International and other human rights groups began a campaign to pursued US consumers to stop buying diamonds that might be produced in Sierra Leone and other conflict zones in Africa.
E. Representative Tony Hall introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives that would force exports of African diamonds to the US to certify that the gems are mined legally (Financial Times, February 14, 2001)
III. Ten years later: "Blood Diamonds" allegeded to be mined in Zimbabwe under government supervision. Martin Rapaport has resigned from the World Diamond Council, stating the Kimberley Process for certifying the origin of diamonds is flawed if not broken. Rapaport and Ian Smillie were the chief authors of the Kimberley Process for keeping "conflict" or "blood" diamonds out of the international market.
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