In several undeveloped African nations illegal diamonds helped
finance wars. Warlords and rebel groups used billion dollar profits from selling illegal diamonds to fund
arms durung wars in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Blood diamonds have also been used by
terroist groups like al-Qaeda to finance activities and money-laundering purposes.
Civil War in Sierra Leone
A refugee in a camp in Guinea
On March 23, 1991, a civil war began when the Revolutionary United
Front (RUF), a group of 100 fighters from Sierra Leone and Liberia, invaded east Sierra Leone. The RUF plan was to take
control of all the diamond mines which were Sierra Leone's main economic source. During the civil war, rebels chopped off
people's hands, arms, feet, lips, and ears. They did these cruel things to adults, teens, children, and even infants
to intimidate potential voters and to maintain control of the diamond mines. The RUF's signature terror tactic was physical
mutilation. An estimated 20,000 civilians suffered amputation, with machetes and axes being used to sever arms, legs, lips,
and ears. The civil war lasted for eleven years and they're still small wars in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone, a child soldier brandishing his rifle.
During the war the RUF used children as soldiers as prositutes.
Liberian Civil War
Lebanese traders within Sierra Leone noticed the
large profits that could be made by smuggling diamonds out of the country. This caused illegal mining and trades to increase
throughout Sierra Leone. By the end of the 1990s, Liberia had become a major centre for massive diamond-related criminal
activity, with connections to guns, drugs and money laundering throughout Africa.
Revolutionary United Front (R.U.F.) Seizes Kono
Kono district of Sierra Leone which is the major mining area in Sierra Leone.
The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rebel army that participated
in the Sierra Leonean Civl War. The army was founded by former-corpoal Foday Sankoh and two other allies, Abu Kanu
and Rashid Mansaray. They were also assisted by a Liberian warlord named Charles Taylor. Their goal was to overpower
the gvernment of Sierra Leone.
In early 1992, The Revolutionary United Front seized Kono, the diamond
mining capital of Sierra Leone. Purchased through the profits from the Kono District diamonds, the Revolutionary United Front
employed small arms, light machine guns, and rocket-propelled grenades.
N.P.R.C. & "Operation Genesis"
On April 29, 1992, young soldiers launched a military
coup and established the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) who later engaged in a war with Revolutionary United Front
(RUF).The army later initiated "Operation Genesis" to drive out RUF rebels, but it was unsuccessful.
The NPRC noticed how bad they were losing against the RUF and decided to hire several hundred mercenaries from the private
firm Executive Outcomes. Within a month they had driven RUF fighters back to enclaves along Sierra Leone's borders. The rebels
later launched a vicious attack on Sierra Leoneans during the 1996 elections because of the NPRC trying to drive them out.
UN & British Involvement In Surpassing Rebels
In 2000, The United Nations agreed to send
peacekeepers to help disarm the rebels. The Security Council sunt almost 13,000 members of their force to Sierra Leone.
Because of the UN overpowering the rebels, Nigerian forces began leaving the country and the UN were attempting
to disarm the RUF. Sankoh's forces later clashed with the UN troopsheld nearly 500 peacekeepers hostage. The RUF had
to release the hostages because of ankoh being captures. The UN Security Council placed a ban on the sale of rough diamonds
from Sierra Leone. In March 2003, the UN Special Court in Sierra Leone indicted leaders in the Sierra Leonean Civil War for
war crimes and crimes against humanity. British forces also intervened when they evacuated Britians from thecountry
and guarded the Freetown airport for UN use only. The British also began taking control of the government and attacking
the rebels. After the British intervention ended, the peace process resumed, and the UN forces finally had full
control of the country.
