Blood Diamonds
Blood Diamonds:
The Real Cost of Diamonds
Sierra Leone is blessed with some of the world’s richest resources such as titanium, gold, and diamonds. Despite these rich resources, Sierra Leone ranked last on the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index in 2001, making Sierra Leone the poorest country in the world at that time. (Renner, 2002, p. 22) So how can a country so rich in resources be so poor? Sierra Leone’s extreme poverty level is caused by the diamonds they mine and the corruption that surround them. The fight for control of these diamonds in Sierra Leone started a ten year civil war between the Government Allies and the Rebel United Front (RUF) that killed more than 50,000 people, displaced half the country’s population, and subjected a country to horrendous human rights violations. This conflict brings up the following questions:
1. What role do diamonds play in such a conflict?
2. Who is the Rebel United Front, what were there intentions, and what were their actions?
3. What were the government allies’ intentions and actions?
4. What did the outside world do to help end this conflict?
This paper on the real cost of diamonds will focus on these four questions.
What role do diamonds play in such a conflict?
In 2001 Ibrahim Kamara, Sierra Leone’s United Nations ambassador was quoted saying, “We have always maintained that the conflict is not about ideology, tribal, or regional difference…The root of the conflict is and remains diamonds, diamonds, and diamonds.” (Renner, 2002, p.22) According to Rasna Warah (2004), Africa’s three most diamond producing countries Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo also happen to be the counties with the most conflict and poverty. This relationship of diamonds, conflict, and poverty is largely caused by the corruption, stealing, and smuggling of diamonds by rebel forces as well as the...
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