Conflict Free & Blood Diamonds: Sierra Leone

Angola | Congo (DRC) | Liberia | Sierra Leone | Zimbabwe

History of West African Conflict Diamonds

Conflict diamonds, also known as blood diamonds are diamonds that are typically hand-mined within a war-zone, or area of regional conflict, then sold in the underground diamond market to help finance insurgent activities, civil insurrection, or attempts to invade neighboring territories by rebel armies. Although the majority of diamond-financed civil unrest has historically taken place along the western coast of central Africa (Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone), this type of conflagration is not limited to this region.

To address to proliferation of these diamond-financed regional conflicts, and the negative stereotypes that were now tainting the legitimate diamond industry, a meeting of South African diamond producing states took place in Kimberley, South Africa, during May of 2000, and the "Kimberley Process" was born.

The United Nations adopted the "Kimberley Process" in 2002; aimed at preventing these illicit diamonds from entering the legitimate rough diamond market. One year later, the "Kimberley Process Certification Scheme," or "KPCS" was drafted, mandating the use of tamper-proof containers, forgery-proof documentation, and advanced package tracking for the shipment of rough diamonds from their mining source, to the polishing producers in Europe, India, Israel, and elsewhere. It is hoped that these measures will prevent the illegal "mixing" of conflict stones with legitimate product.

Artisanal Diamond Mining in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone Selection Trust (SLST) began alluvial diamond mining operations within the Kono District in 1934. Since that time, regional diamond production within the Koidu, Kenema and Bo mining districts has been limited to small-scale artisanal operations, taking place within diamond-bearing rocks and gravels located in the drainage basins of the Bafi, Mano, Moa, Sewa and Woa Rivers.

Artisanal mining is a primitive, non-mechanized method of diamond extraction, involving little more than hand-digging of river-bank mud, sand or gravel (alluvium), which is then sifted using hand-held sieves.

Today, artisanal diamond mining from alluvial secondary-deposits accounts for 90% of West Africa's diamond exports, and is still one of the largest sources of employment in Sierra Leone, second only to subsistence farming.

Photo Credit: Public Domain/Unknown Author

The inland town of Koidu-Sefadu, also known as Kono, or New Sembehun, is the diamond mining hub of Sierra Leone, located in the Kono District on the country's eastern boarder with Guinea and Liberia.

Each day in Koidu Town, hundreds of men and young children, known locally as "diamond diggers," set out for the gravel and mud pits of the Koidu-Sefadu mines that surround most Koidu, earning a subsistence wage, and hoping for a major find. Rough diamonds are transported to Sierra Leone's capital city of Freetown, where they are appraised and exported for polishing.

Proliferation of Blood Diamonds

Although Sierra Leone's political instability dates back several decades, major problems began in the early 1990s, when rebel army leader Foday Sankoh founded the "Revolutionary United Front," or "RUF," which fought a failed insurrection from 1991 to 2002. RUF's subversive activities were heavily financed by the sale of blood diamonds which were sold through illicit networks that were established through Sankoh's alliance with Liberian president Charles Taylor.

Photo - www.sierra-leone.org

After a decades-long civil war in Sierra Leone, the United Nations intervened in 1999, creating the "Lomé Peace Accord," which finally ended hostilities in late 2002. In June 2003, the United Nations ban on the sale of diamonds from Sierra Leone expired, and was not renewed. As part of the accord, Sankoh was granted amnesty, and a prominent position in Sierra Leone's transitional government, and United Nations peacekeeping forces withdrew by the end of 2005.

Ever since the discovery of the 620 carat Sefadu diamond in 1970, and the 968 carat Star of Sierra Leone diamond at the Diminco Mine in 1972, legitimate mining companies have been poised to begin major exploration of Sierra Leone's primary kimberlite deposits, as soon as the political situation has stabilized.

Sierra Leone is slowly trying to distance itself from its bloody past, and is starting to rebuild its devastated economy and infrastructure, building a fragile democracy.

Until recent years, the only mechanized mining operation in Sierra Leone was the Magna Egoli alluvial mine (aka Zimmi Property) situated along the Sewa River between the towns of Bo and Kenema. The Magna Egoli mine was developed and run by Rex Mining of Antwerp until 2002, when operations were taken over by Fauvilla Ltd. and Waldman Diamond Resources of Israel.

Kimberlite Diamond Mining in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone's primary kimberlite deposits were first discovered in 1948, in the Koidu region and later at Tongo and Panguma. Within the Koidu region's kimberlite field, Koidu Holdings Ltd. estimates diamond reserves at approximately 2 million carats, extending to a depth of 300m [12].

The Sierra Leone mining company Mano River Resources Inc. was founded by Guido (Guy) E. Pas in 1996, when it began exploration of several underground mining locations as part of the "Kono Kimberlite Dykes" project within Sierra Leone's Kono (Lion) "diamond district." Mano River Resources is also evaluating the viability of the BHP Billiton Joint Venture Project along the Sierra Leone/Liberia boarder.

Although mechanized hard rock and open-pit mining for diamonds buried within Kimberlite pipes is still in its infancy within Sierra Leone, money and resources are now flowing to Kono in search of the next big strike. In 2006, Sierra Leone and joint-venture partner Petra Diamonds began the first mechanized diamond production of the Kono Dykes [10].

Sierra Leone's exporting of legally mined diamonds has steadily increased since the Kimberley Process was instituted, rising 66% in 2003, and the average price for Sierra Leonean diamonds reached $183 US per carat in 2004.

Geneva-based Steinmetz Diamond Group and UK-based River Diamonds, along with Koidu Holdings has also invested millions into the exploration and building of several new Kimberlite diamond mines in Sierra Leone.