Mining in Sierra Leone

Traditionally, benefits from diamond mining have ended up with private companies and corrupt officials rather than the country's government and people.

The Consolidated African Selection Trust Ltd (CAST), which owned mining operation around West Africa, provided the initial capital for the SLST.

Before the start of the Civil War in 1991 250,000 people made a living in the mining and quarrying sector with direct and indirect employment accounting for 14% of the country's total labour force.

[3] Despite being among the top-ten diamond-producing nations,[7] the mining sector faces many challenges, including weak laws and smuggling issues.

[13] Sierra Leone is ranked as one of the top five producers of rutile, a titanium ore, used in paint pigment and welding rod coatings.

[23] Despite the control that De Beers had over the industry at the time, many other actors, both internal and external, realized they could accrue a great deal of profits through illicit mining and smuggling of diamonds out of the country.

The NDMC gave Stevens and his right-hand man, Jamil Mohammed, unprecedented wealth and power through profits gained in the mining industry.

[21] As Siaka Stevens’s rule came to its end in 1984, De Beers removed itself from Sierra Leone and sold its remaining shares to the Precious Metals Mining Company which was controlled by Jamil Mohammed.

[24] The history of corruption and open government ties to the illegal diamond trade was not well received among the populace, leading to the creation of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF)[22] and eventually the advent of the Sierra Leone Civil War.

This group, made up of soldiers from Sierra Leone and Liberia, led a coup attempt in 1991, beginning a long civil war within the nation which lasted until 2002.

Knowing that control of the mines would allow the RUF to fund their revolutionary efforts, much of the fighting was contained in and around the diamond districts.

As the civil war continued, the RUF furthered their consolidation of these mines, using the sales of “conflict diamonds” to buy arms and fuel their brutal tactics of warfare.

The RUF has been condemned for various war crimes and human rights abuses, including mass killings, widespread rape, and enlisting of underage soldiers.

Recently, De Beers has taken a more direct approach to working with Sierra Leone in an effort to create a market for ethically-sourced and artisanal diamonds.

The Kimberley Process has since been instrumental in sustaining a more robust form of governance over the diamond mining industry both in Sierra Leone, as well as around Africa.

[26] The current president of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, has spoken publicly about his hope that these profits foster robust economic development throughout the country.

He announced plans to work with the World Bank and state-run mining agencies to improve extraction processes and increase transparency within the institutions.

[26] In an address to the UK House of Lords, President Bio emphasized his desire to focus on public investments, particularly those in education.

In December 2022, Amnesty International released a report outlining the human rights abuses which continue in the diamond mining sector in Sierra Leone.

Israeli-owned BSG Resources has evicted communities from their homes, polluted local water sources, and worked with the government to suppress protests.

Deposits occur between Moyamba and Mano, on the Freetown Peninsular, at Krim-Kpaka in the Pujehun District, southern Sierra Leone; in north on the road from Falaba to Waia, at Kamakwie and Makumre.

This was due to Sierra Minerals ceasing production from June to September 2009 as a response to falling global demand for aluminum, which is produced from bauxite.

Kanye emphasizes the illegal diamond trade in Sierra Leone as a leading factor resulting in a gruesome civil war.

Policies regarding well-management of mining industry should be done alongside a broader focus for the economy’s development, and greater efforts should be done to expand the manufacturing and service sector, which currently only contribute 12% to the GDP.

One recent example is the Gemstone School Sierra Leone, which was established as an institution to improve diamond polishing, cutting and jewelry-manufacturing skills to boost job-training and employment opportunities locally and to attract overseas investors.

[33] More efforts from the government and Multi-National Corporations can hence be done in the future to build more diamond-processing facilities and plants in Sierra Leone to boost the diamond mining industry.