Blood Diamonds Blood Diamond: Sierra Leone Conflict
Sierra Leone “Blood Diamond” Conflict
Many of the world’s major conflicts arise from the want or need for resources, but the extent to which these resources are responsible for such conflicts, tends to be misunderstood. Conflicts may arise with first a dispute on who gets control over what resources, but followed by other factors adding up to contribute to the said conflict, including, corrupt leaders, religion, debt ect. When this is the case, it becomes confusing on what aspects are responsible for specific conflicts. Resource conflicts are a common occurrence in many African countries, as Africa is a continent with a surplus of natural resources and minerals, that the rest of the world wants control over. A collection of issues arose in Sierra Leone, thus starting a civil war. The diamond mining industry in Sierra Leone makes for half of their exports contributing greatly to their yearly income, although this annual income is minimal. Diamonds in Sierra Leone have paid for weaponry, which has contributed to warfare, they have added to the country’s corruption and have affected the international …show more content…
world, causing several interventions. Therefore, diamonds are greatly responsible for the conflict in Sierra Leone.
The trade of “Blood diamonds” fuelled Sierra Leone’s civil war from 1991 through to 2002, as these diamonds were paying for weaponry. The civil war occurred because the rebel group, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) tried to overthrow the government so they could gain ownership and profit from the precious diamonds. The RUF would traumatize diamond-mining villages, in order to get hold of as many diamonds as they possibly could. They would abuse workers, chopping of limbs if they refused to give up their diamonds, or if they had none in their possession. In April 1998 Ibrahim Fofana, was working in a diamond mine in Eastern Sierra Leone, an area where over 75% of the nation’s diamonds are mined, when the RUF attacked his village, demanding diamonds. When Ibrahim told them he had none in his possession, they hacked off both of his hands, and killed his neighbour, as he too had nothing to hand over (The African Conflict). Such situations became common in Sierra Leone, and over 10,000 people experienced limbs being chopped off, needing amputation as they had no diamonds in their possession. On the occasions where the RUF were able to get hold of the diamonds from the villages and mines, they would illegally trade them in order to get hold of all sorts of guns and weaponry, so they could do more damage. The more weaponry they had, the more of a blood bath Sierra Leone became. When their amount of weaponry increased, they would recruit and drug small boys and send them off as child soldiers, with AK47 assault rifles in their innocent hands. These young boys would be manipulated and forced to join these rebel groups to fight for this corrupt cause. However, both sides used child soldiers in this battle. The UN estimates that a quarter of the soldiers fighting for Sierra Leone’s government forces, are children under the age of 18 (Shah). It is also likely that the diamonds, also funded the arms of the government forces, and though these funds may have not been as illegally retrieved, they were still supported by the horrific “Blood Diamond” situation. The illegal diamond trading industry the RUF had in place, was more than enough to sustain their militarily and future ambitions, due to the fact that annually, it provided them with at least $25 million to $125 million per year (UN Report). Therefore, the quantity of diamonds and the diamonds themselves, contribute substantially to warfare in Sierra Leone as they make up the funds for the weaponry, which caused the civil war to spread over a longer period of time.
The diamonds in Sierra Leone have caused corruption to escalate. This problem arose in 1968 when Sikia Stevens became prime minister and took advantage of how profitable the diamond trade industry was. He did so by gaining a huge profit from illegal diamond mining and trading in Sierra Leone. With this situation clearly visible to the public, more and more people began to gain large profits from trading and mining diamonds illegally, resulting with the concept of “Blood diamonds”. The civil war in 1n the 1990’s was also spurred by this concept, as the RUF wanted to control the diamond mines and have a result of an even more profitable trading system. The United Nations has various schemes and procedures in place, to prevent illegal diamond trading and mining, however corruption in the diamond industry is still present. This is because people will always try and find a way around all the legal processes. Diamonds are currently being smuggled into Liberia, where they are sold to markets or companies who distribute these gems illegally, to the international diamond industry. Groups such as the RUF rebels will go to extremes to trade their diamonds in the illegal, more profitable way. Since the civil war, corruption has still been present in Sierra Leone, and it will be almost impossible for Sierra Leone to get rid of it, especially at their current position as one of the poorest countries in the world. Thus, the density of diamonds in Sierra Leone has caused massive corruption within the country.
Due to the violence that occurred in Sierra Leone because of the Diamond conflict, the international world had to intervene. Firstly, a peace deal was made in 1999 regarding the Human Rights Watch. This peace deal, organised by UN Peacekeeping and the Sierra Leone government, involved the process of disarmament for the rebel soldiers, particularly in areas near numerous diamond-rich areas. However, when the UN Peacekeeping troops had been sent out to these areas, a number of them had been held captive by the RUF rebels, causing the deployment of British Troops. The British Troops had originally been sent to Sierra Leone to evacuate any British citizens, but they ended up assisting the Sierra Leone Government to capture the rebel group leaders (Anup). Additionally, towards the end of the civil war, the United Nations stepped in, instigating new programs to stop illegal diamond trading in Sierra Leone. They created the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme, requiring “a paper trail that certifies the origin of rough diamonds.” This scheme is supposed to lessen the flow of blood diamonds out of Sierra Leone, to prevent them from taking part in the world’s diamond industry, causing Blood diamonds themselves, to eventually recede (Human Rights). Though unfortunately, this scheme has yet to improve the general human security situation in Sierra Leone. With the violence that has emerged in Sierra Leone, the international world became very aware of blood diamonds, and many diamond corporations were weary of where their diamonds originated. Blood diamonds were extremely unpopular amongst the public and many of the diamond corporation lost sales, as they were unable to verify which mines their gems had come from. These diamond companies needed to be able to assure where their diamonds had originated, and thus, the Kimberly Process was very useful, in a variety of ways. These systems the United Nations have instigated, have had a positive impact on the illegal diamond trading industry, however, Sierra Leone’s government admits that they could not prevent and control the corrupt mining, so it is an issue that still has to be dealt with, within Sierra Leone, and this may take some time to do so. Consequently, the international world is still needed to assist Sierra Leone further with these issues.
In conclusion, the rich concentration of diamonds in Sierra Leone, is significantly responsible for the various conflicts.
As diamonds offer large profits from their trades, it causes many people to become greedy, and use corruption as a way to get to the diamonds. This greed has caused many outbursts of violence to take place in Sierra Leone and the diamonds themselves have contributed largely with the progression of violence and wars, causing the need for interference from the international world. Sierra Leone, like many other African countries, has had horrendous results due to the abundance of lucrative natural resources. But would such issues appear if these resources were not in the lesser-devolved countries of Africa, but in the more developed countries in Europe or the Americas? And would the situations there be dealt with in a different
manner?
Bibliography
"Blood Diamonds." Sierra-Leone. N.p., 16 Apr. 2008. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .
Blood Diamonds: The African Conflict ." mymultiplesclerosis.co.uk. N.p., 2 Mar.2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .
Pflanz, Mike. "Sierra Leone 'blood diamond ' rebels found guilty of war crimes.” The Telegraph 25 Feb. 2009: n. pag. Telegraph.co.uk. Web. 13 Apr. 2012..
Shah, Anup. “Sierra Leone.” Global Issues. 23 Jul. 2001. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .
"Sierra Leone Diamonds." Human Rights, United Nations, International Laws. Uniosil, 2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .
"Sierra Leone." The CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency , 19 Mar.2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2012 .
"Sierra Leone: UN Report - Diamonds and Weapons." Peace.ca. Africa Policy Information Center, Dec. 2001. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .
Many of the world’s major conflicts arise from the want or need for resources, but the extent to which these resources are responsible for such conflicts, tends to be misunderstood. Conflicts may arise with first a dispute on who gets control over what resources, but followed by other factors adding up to contribute to the said conflict, including, corrupt leaders, religion, debt ect. When this is the case, it becomes confusing on what aspects are responsible for specific conflicts. Resource conflicts are a common occurrence in many African countries, as Africa is a continent with a surplus of natural resources and minerals, that the rest of the world wants control over. A collection of issues arose in Sierra Leone, thus starting a civil war. The diamond mining industry in Sierra Leone makes for half of their exports contributing greatly to their yearly income, although this annual income is minimal. Diamonds in Sierra Leone have paid for weaponry, which has contributed to warfare, they have added to the country’s corruption and have affected the international …show more content…
world, causing several interventions. Therefore, diamonds are greatly responsible for the conflict in Sierra Leone.
The trade of “Blood diamonds” fuelled Sierra Leone’s civil war from 1991 through to 2002, as these diamonds were paying for weaponry. The civil war occurred because the rebel group, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) tried to overthrow the government so they could gain ownership and profit from the precious diamonds. The RUF would traumatize diamond-mining villages, in order to get hold of as many diamonds as they possibly could. They would abuse workers, chopping of limbs if they refused to give up their diamonds, or if they had none in their possession. In April 1998 Ibrahim Fofana, was working in a diamond mine in Eastern Sierra Leone, an area where over 75% of the nation’s diamonds are mined, when the RUF attacked his village, demanding diamonds. When Ibrahim told them he had none in his possession, they hacked off both of his hands, and killed his neighbour, as he too had nothing to hand over (The African Conflict). Such situations became common in Sierra Leone, and over 10,000 people experienced limbs being chopped off, needing amputation as they had no diamonds in their possession. On the occasions where the RUF were able to get hold of the diamonds from the villages and mines, they would illegally trade them in order to get hold of all sorts of guns and weaponry, so they could do more damage. The more weaponry they had, the more of a blood bath Sierra Leone became. When their amount of weaponry increased, they would recruit and drug small boys and send them off as child soldiers, with AK47 assault rifles in their innocent hands. These young boys would be manipulated and forced to join these rebel groups to fight for this corrupt cause. However, both sides used child soldiers in this battle. The UN estimates that a quarter of the soldiers fighting for Sierra Leone’s government forces, are children under the age of 18 (Shah). It is also likely that the diamonds, also funded the arms of the government forces, and though these funds may have not been as illegally retrieved, they were still supported by the horrific “Blood Diamond” situation. The illegal diamond trading industry the RUF had in place, was more than enough to sustain their militarily and future ambitions, due to the fact that annually, it provided them with at least $25 million to $125 million per year (UN Report). Therefore, the quantity of diamonds and the diamonds themselves, contribute substantially to warfare in Sierra Leone as they make up the funds for the weaponry, which caused the civil war to spread over a longer period of time.
The diamonds in Sierra Leone have caused corruption to escalate. This problem arose in 1968 when Sikia Stevens became prime minister and took advantage of how profitable the diamond trade industry was. He did so by gaining a huge profit from illegal diamond mining and trading in Sierra Leone. With this situation clearly visible to the public, more and more people began to gain large profits from trading and mining diamonds illegally, resulting with the concept of “Blood diamonds”. The civil war in 1n the 1990’s was also spurred by this concept, as the RUF wanted to control the diamond mines and have a result of an even more profitable trading system. The United Nations has various schemes and procedures in place, to prevent illegal diamond trading and mining, however corruption in the diamond industry is still present. This is because people will always try and find a way around all the legal processes. Diamonds are currently being smuggled into Liberia, where they are sold to markets or companies who distribute these gems illegally, to the international diamond industry. Groups such as the RUF rebels will go to extremes to trade their diamonds in the illegal, more profitable way. Since the civil war, corruption has still been present in Sierra Leone, and it will be almost impossible for Sierra Leone to get rid of it, especially at their current position as one of the poorest countries in the world. Thus, the density of diamonds in Sierra Leone has caused massive corruption within the country.
Due to the violence that occurred in Sierra Leone because of the Diamond conflict, the international world had to intervene. Firstly, a peace deal was made in 1999 regarding the Human Rights Watch. This peace deal, organised by UN Peacekeeping and the Sierra Leone government, involved the process of disarmament for the rebel soldiers, particularly in areas near numerous diamond-rich areas. However, when the UN Peacekeeping troops had been sent out to these areas, a number of them had been held captive by the RUF rebels, causing the deployment of British Troops. The British Troops had originally been sent to Sierra Leone to evacuate any British citizens, but they ended up assisting the Sierra Leone Government to capture the rebel group leaders (Anup). Additionally, towards the end of the civil war, the United Nations stepped in, instigating new programs to stop illegal diamond trading in Sierra Leone. They created the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme, requiring “a paper trail that certifies the origin of rough diamonds.” This scheme is supposed to lessen the flow of blood diamonds out of Sierra Leone, to prevent them from taking part in the world’s diamond industry, causing Blood diamonds themselves, to eventually recede (Human Rights). Though unfortunately, this scheme has yet to improve the general human security situation in Sierra Leone. With the violence that has emerged in Sierra Leone, the international world became very aware of blood diamonds, and many diamond corporations were weary of where their diamonds originated. Blood diamonds were extremely unpopular amongst the public and many of the diamond corporation lost sales, as they were unable to verify which mines their gems had come from. These diamond companies needed to be able to assure where their diamonds had originated, and thus, the Kimberly Process was very useful, in a variety of ways. These systems the United Nations have instigated, have had a positive impact on the illegal diamond trading industry, however, Sierra Leone’s government admits that they could not prevent and control the corrupt mining, so it is an issue that still has to be dealt with, within Sierra Leone, and this may take some time to do so. Consequently, the international world is still needed to assist Sierra Leone further with these issues.
In conclusion, the rich concentration of diamonds in Sierra Leone, is significantly responsible for the various conflicts.
As diamonds offer large profits from their trades, it causes many people to become greedy, and use corruption as a way to get to the diamonds. This greed has caused many outbursts of violence to take place in Sierra Leone and the diamonds themselves have contributed largely with the progression of violence and wars, causing the need for interference from the international world. Sierra Leone, like many other African countries, has had horrendous results due to the abundance of lucrative natural resources. But would such issues appear if these resources were not in the lesser-devolved countries of Africa, but in the more developed countries in Europe or the Americas? And would the situations there be dealt with in a different
manner?
Bibliography
"Blood Diamonds." Sierra-Leone. N.p., 16 Apr. 2008. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .
Blood Diamonds: The African Conflict ." mymultiplesclerosis.co.uk. N.p., 2 Mar.2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .
Pflanz, Mike. "Sierra Leone 'blood diamond ' rebels found guilty of war crimes.” The Telegraph 25 Feb. 2009: n. pag. Telegraph.co.uk. Web. 13 Apr. 2012..
Shah, Anup. “Sierra Leone.” Global Issues. 23 Jul. 2001. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .
"Sierra Leone Diamonds." Human Rights, United Nations, International Laws. Uniosil, 2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .
"Sierra Leone." The CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency , 19 Mar.2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2012 .
"Sierra Leone: UN Report - Diamonds and Weapons." Peace.ca. Africa Policy Information Center, Dec. 2001. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. .