How are diamonds still impacting Sierra Leone today?

How are diamonds still impacting Sierra Leone today?

Yet the artisanal diamond mining sector still has an important role to play in driving local economic development in rural areas. It supports hundreds of thousands of poor people, supplying valuable start-up capital for other economic activities, and helping to nourish smallholder agriculture.

What impact have blood diamonds had on African countries and their people?

Conflict diamonds lead to human suffering The civil wars that have spanned the last few decades in West Africa have taken their toll one the native peoples in this region. In the Angolan capital of Luanda, thousands of children have been forced onto the streets as a result of the war and poverty.

How does diamond mining affect the economy?

Its diamond industry currently contributes 35% of its income to fiscal revenue and around 20% to GDP. This makes the diamond industry – mining, cutting and polishing, and sales – the most important economic activity for the country.

How does diamond mining affect Africa?

The working conditions in most of the countries diamonds are mined in are terrible. Africa is known for having the worst working conditions as well as wages as low as $1/day for miners. Diamond mining also has many detrimental impacts on the environment including soil erosion, deforestation, and ecosystem destruction.

What impact does Sierra Leone have on society?

In addition to vast reserves of diamonds, Sierra Leone is rich in many other minerals. Cocoa, coffee, and fish also register amongst the country’s main exports. Eight out of 10 Sierra Leoneans work in agriculture, while artisanal mining provides a source of income for approximately 120,000 people.

Does Sierra Leone still mine diamonds?

Diamonds are found in about a quarter of Sierra Leone in the south-east and east of the country, with the diamond fields cover 7,700 square miles. The main production areas are concentrated around the drainage areas of rivers in the Kono, Kenema and Bo Districts.

What countries are affected by the conflict diamond trade?

Diamonds have funded brutal wars in countries such as Angola, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, resulting in the death and displacement of millions of people. There is a reason they are dubbed ‘Blood Diamonds’.

What are the environmental impacts of mining diamonds?

But the coveted title of “world’s largest diamond mine” varies. Mineral resource exploitation also causes irreversible damage to the natural environment including deforestation, soil disturbance, air emissions, surface water pollution, groundwater contamination, dust, noise, workplace health and safety, and others.

Why are diamonds important to Africa?

An Economic Boon As of 2020, the diamond industry contributes over $8 billion to the African economy, making Africa the world’s top producer of diamonds. Approximately 47% of the world’s diamonds come from Africa and almost 3/4ths of Botswana’s export revenue came from diamonds alone.

What are the effects of blood diamonds in Sierra Leone?

Under the cover of warfare the rebels committed heinous crimes against humanity in the form of murder, rape, and mutilation. The war between 1991 and 1999 claimed over 75,000 lives, caused 500,000 Sierra Leoneans to become refugees, and displaced half of the countries 4.5 million people[6].

How did blood diamonds contribute to the Sierra Leone civil war?

They stopped their involvement in 1984, causing the government to lose revenue. By the late 1980’s, the diamonds were being traded and sold illegally by private individuals. Attempts by the government of Sierra Leone to stop this corruption were unsuccessful. Blood diamonds became the fuel that fed the civil war fires.

How much money does Sierra Leone make from diamonds?

Diamond mining remains one of Sierra Leone’s most lucrative export industries, with annual production of up to US$250m. But due to poor governance and widespread corruption, only a fraction of this…

Why was there a civil war in Sierra Leone?

The Civil War in Sierra Leone has been one of the most grotesque ones in history, and the nation’s rich diamond reserves have driven much of the violence. Diamond miners in Sierra Leone sifting through the sand in search of diamonds.

How are people affected by the diamond trade?

But due to poor governance and widespread corruption, only a fraction of this wealth returns to the areas where diamonds are mined. While international traders reap vast rewards, poverty and hardship is the reality for many of those who actually find the diamonds.