Blood Diamonds (38 page)
Authors: Greg Campbell
12
J. A. McGregor,
Due Diligence Report on Branch Energy Diamond Properties, Sierra Leone and Angola, 1997
(Toronto, Canada: Watts, Griffis & McOuat Consulting Geologists and Engineers, 1997).
Chapter 4J. A. McGregor,
Due Diligence Report on Branch Energy Diamond Properties, Sierra Leone and Angola, 1997
(Toronto, Canada: Watts, Griffis & McOuat Consulting Geologists and Engineers, 1997).
2
Ibid. Ominously, the solicitor's fax said that Sandline was innocent of sanctions-busting because it was pursuing the deal with Peter Penfold's encouragement. An arms scandal would be a death blow for Cook. He wasn't aware that at the time he learned of the brewing tempest, customs had already raided the Foreign Office in a search for evidence. The
Sunday Times
printed his worst nightmare on May 3, 1998, with the headline: “Cook Snared in Arms for Coup Inquiry.”
Ibid. Ominously, the solicitor's fax said that Sandline was innocent of sanctions-busting because it was pursuing the deal with Peter Penfold's encouragement. An arms scandal would be a death blow for Cook. He wasn't aware that at the time he learned of the brewing tempest, customs had already raided the Foreign Office in a search for evidence. The
Sunday Times
printed his worst nightmare on May 3, 1998, with the headline: “Cook Snared in Arms for Coup Inquiry.”
3
Bill Berkeley,
The Graves Are Not Yet Full: Race, Tribe and Power in the Heart of Africa
(New York: Basic Books, 2001), p. 55. One ECOMOG faction stationed in Liberia dealt with an armed band of men loyal to the country's former despot, Samuel Doe, by partnering in an ore-mining deal near the Sierra Leone border. But when the ECOMOG command replaced the officers involved in the dealings, the new leaders didn't want to participate in the profit-sharing arrangement and attempted to disarm the insurgents. The rebels duly attacked, killing sixty ECOMOG soldiers. The fight over the mines spiraled and, over the course of a few months, eventually led to another round of slaughter in Monrovia.
Bill Berkeley,
The Graves Are Not Yet Full: Race, Tribe and Power in the Heart of Africa
(New York: Basic Books, 2001), p. 55. One ECOMOG faction stationed in Liberia dealt with an armed band of men loyal to the country's former despot, Samuel Doe, by partnering in an ore-mining deal near the Sierra Leone border. But when the ECOMOG command replaced the officers involved in the dealings, the new leaders didn't want to participate in the profit-sharing arrangement and attempted to disarm the insurgents. The rebels duly attacked, killing sixty ECOMOG soldiers. The fight over the mines spiraled and, over the course of a few months, eventually led to another round of slaughter in Monrovia.
4
Report of the Panel of Experts Appointed Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1306 (2000), Paragraph 19, in Relation to Sierra Leone, S/2000/1195, presented to the UN Security Council at the Global Policy Forum, New York, December 20, 2000.
Report of the Panel of Experts Appointed Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1306 (2000), Paragraph 19, in Relation to Sierra Leone, S/2000/1195, presented to the UN Security Council at the Global Policy Forum, New York, December 20, 2000.
5
According to the article “UN Monitors Accuse Sierra Leone Peacekeepers of Killings,”
New York Times,
Feb. 12, 1999, p. A10, “A United Nations human rights mission has charged that regional peacekeepers in Sierra Leone have summarily executed dozens of civilians. Numerous reports of rebel violence against civilians in Sierra Leone have circulated, but in a report the mission describes systematic rights violations by both insurgents and peacekeepers. . . . the report accuses the monitoring group established by
the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOMOG, of executing groups including children and some 20 patients at Connaught Hospital on Jan. 20. The report says that ECOMOG forces bombed civilian targets, shot at âhuman shields' formed by the rebels and mistreated the staffs of the Red Cross and similar groups.”
According to the article “UN Monitors Accuse Sierra Leone Peacekeepers of Killings,”
New York Times,
Feb. 12, 1999, p. A10, “A United Nations human rights mission has charged that regional peacekeepers in Sierra Leone have summarily executed dozens of civilians. Numerous reports of rebel violence against civilians in Sierra Leone have circulated, but in a report the mission describes systematic rights violations by both insurgents and peacekeepers. . . . the report accuses the monitoring group established by
the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOMOG, of executing groups including children and some 20 patients at Connaught Hospital on Jan. 20. The report says that ECOMOG forces bombed civilian targets, shot at âhuman shields' formed by the rebels and mistreated the staffs of the Red Cross and similar groups.”
6
John Bolton, testimony before the International Relations Committee, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, 2001.
John Bolton, testimony before the International Relations Committee, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, 2001.
7
Ibid.
Ibid.
8
Ibid.
Ibid.
10
Ibid.
Ibid.
11
Matthew Hart,
Diamond: A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession
(Marble Falls, Texas: Walker Publishing Co., 2001).
Matthew Hart,
Diamond: A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession
(Marble Falls, Texas: Walker Publishing Co., 2001).
12
Global Witness, “Conflict Diamonds: Possibilities for the Identification, Certification and Control of Diamonds,” June 2000, London.
Chapter 5Global Witness, “Conflict Diamonds: Possibilities for the Identification, Certification and Control of Diamonds,” June 2000, London.
1
Timothy Green,
The World of Diamonds: The Inside Story of the Miners, Cutters, Smugglers, Lovers and Investors
(New York: William Morrow & Co., 1984), p. 23.
Timothy Green,
The World of Diamonds: The Inside Story of the Miners, Cutters, Smugglers, Lovers and Investors
(New York: William Morrow & Co., 1984), p. 23.
2
Kevin Krajick,
Barren Lands: An Epic Search for Diamonds in the North American Arctic
(New York: Times Books, 2001), p. 104.
Kevin Krajick,
Barren Lands: An Epic Search for Diamonds in the North American Arctic
(New York: Times Books, 2001), p. 104.
3
Matthew Hart,
Diamond: A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession
(Marble Falls, Texas: Walker Publishing Co., 2001).
Matthew Hart,
Diamond: A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession
(Marble Falls, Texas: Walker Publishing Co., 2001).
4
Green, p. 27.
Green, p. 27.
5
De Beers Group, Annual Report 1996, Johannesburg, South Africa.
De Beers Group, Annual Report 1996, Johannesburg, South Africa.
6
Hart, p. 223.
Hart, p. 223.
7
Ibid., pp. 125â127.
Ibid., pp. 125â127.
8
Ibid., p. 135.
Ibid., p. 135.
9
Interview with Tom Shane, December 19, 2001, Denver, Colorado.
Interview with Tom Shane, December 19, 2001, Denver, Colorado.
10
Report of the Panel of Experts Appointed Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1306 (2000), Paragraph 19, in Relation to Sierra Leone, S/2000/1195, presented to the UN Security Council at the Global Policy Forum, New York, December 20, 2000.
Report of the Panel of Experts Appointed Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1306 (2000), Paragraph 19, in Relation to Sierra Leone, S/2000/1195, presented to the UN Security Council at the Global Policy Forum, New York, December 20, 2000.
11
De Beers Group, written testimony before the U.S. Congress, House Committee on International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Washington, D.C., May 9, 2000.
De Beers Group, written testimony before the U.S. Congress, House Committee on International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Washington, D.C., May 9, 2000.
12
Hart, p. 136.
Hart, p. 136.
13
Ibid., p. 199.
Ibid., p. 199.
14
Ibid., pp. 120â121.
Ibid., pp. 120â121.
15
De Beers Group, Annual Report 2000, Johannesburg, South Africa.
De Beers Group, Annual Report 2000, Johannesburg, South Africa.
16
Hart, p. 137.
Chapter 6Hart, p. 137.
1
Interview with Margaret Novicki, UNAMSIL spokeswoman, June 2001, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Interview with Margaret Novicki, UNAMSIL spokeswoman, June 2001, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
2
Foday Sankoh, “Footpaths to Democracy,” 1994, Kailahun, Sierra Leone.
Chapter 8Foday Sankoh, “Footpaths to Democracy,” 1994, Kailahun, Sierra Leone.
1
This account is recreated from a
Washington Post
article, “Al Qaeda Cash Tied to Diamond Trade,” Nov. 2, 2001, and interviews with the author,
Washington Post
West Africa Bureau Chief Doug Farah, in December 2001.
This account is recreated from a
Washington Post
article, “Al Qaeda Cash Tied to Diamond Trade,” Nov. 2, 2001, and interviews with the author,
Washington Post
West Africa Bureau Chief Doug Farah, in December 2001.
2
Interview with Doug Farah, via e-mail, December 2001.
Interview with Doug Farah, via e-mail, December 2001.
3
In 1985, Doug Farah was a correspondent for UPI in El Salvador and Honduras at the height of the Contra revolution and then became a stringer in the region for the
Washington Post,
the
Boston Globe,
and
U.S. News and World Report
once UPI sank in 1987. In 1990, he started covering the drug war in Colombia and became a staff reporter with the
Post
in 1992. He kept his beat in Latin America until 1997, when he was promoted to international investigative correspondent, specializing in drugs, overlords, organized crime, and money laundering. He was invited to apply for the West Africa bureau position when it came open and moved to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in March 2000 with his wife and 8-month-old son.
In 1985, Doug Farah was a correspondent for UPI in El Salvador and Honduras at the height of the Contra revolution and then became a stringer in the region for the
Washington Post,
the
Boston Globe,
and
U.S. News and World Report
once UPI sank in 1987. In 1990, he started covering the drug war in Colombia and became a staff reporter with the
Post
in 1992. He kept his beat in Latin America until 1997, when he was promoted to international investigative correspondent, specializing in drugs, overlords, organized crime, and money laundering. He was invited to apply for the West Africa bureau position when it came open and moved to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in March 2000 with his wife and 8-month-old son.
4
Report of the Panel of Experts Appointed Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1306 (2000), Paragraph 19, in Relation to Sierra Leone, S/2000/1195, presented to the UN Security Council at the Global Policy Forum, New York, December 20, 2000.
Report of the Panel of Experts Appointed Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1306 (2000), Paragraph 19, in Relation to Sierra Leone, S/2000/1195, presented to the UN Security Council at the Global Policy Forum, New York, December 20, 2000.
5
In fact, Taylor's NPFL invaded Liberia from Ivory Coast on Christmas Eve in 1989. Like many cities in West Africa, Abidjan is a dense, decaying
slum of violent crime, disease, and poverty. Many media organizations base their West African bureaus there simply because it's roughly in the middle of the region to be covered, not because of any perceived degree of relative safety. Most upper-class homes feature armed private security forces and “rape cages” in the bedrooms. A rape cage is an iron security device in which female residents lock themselves in case of a criminal siege on their home. The presence of such things also speaks to the quality of the security forces.
In fact, Taylor's NPFL invaded Liberia from Ivory Coast on Christmas Eve in 1989. Like many cities in West Africa, Abidjan is a dense, decaying
slum of violent crime, disease, and poverty. Many media organizations base their West African bureaus there simply because it's roughly in the middle of the region to be covered, not because of any perceived degree of relative safety. Most upper-class homes feature armed private security forces and “rape cages” in the bedrooms. A rape cage is an iron security device in which female residents lock themselves in case of a criminal siege on their home. The presence of such things also speaks to the quality of the security forces.
6
U.S. Rep. Tony Hall (D-Ohio), “Congressional Leaders Urge Action on Conflict Diamonds,” press release, Washington, D.C., July 3, 2001.
U.S. Rep. Tony Hall (D-Ohio), “Congressional Leaders Urge Action on Conflict Diamonds,” press release, Washington, D.C., July 3, 2001.
7
Matthew Weissenberger, “Industry Responds to DiamondâTerrorist Link,” Nov. 8, 2001,
www.NationalJeweler.com
.
Matthew Weissenberger, “Industry Responds to DiamondâTerrorist Link,” Nov. 8, 2001,
www.NationalJeweler.com
.
8
Ibid.
Chapter 9Ibid.
1
UNAMSIL Press Briefing, Mammy Yoko Hotel, Freetown, Sierra Leone, December 14, 2001.
UNAMSIL Press Briefing, Mammy Yoko Hotel, Freetown, Sierra Leone, December 14, 2001.
2
“Canadian Firm Resumes Diamond Mining in Sierra Leone.”
Daily Trust
(Lagos, Nigeria)
,
Jan. 23, 2002, p. 16.
Chapter 10“Canadian Firm Resumes Diamond Mining in Sierra Leone.”
Daily Trust
(Lagos, Nigeria)
,
Jan. 23, 2002, p. 16.
1
Alexandra Zavis, “As Peace Returns to Sierra Leone, Many Live with Legacy of the Brutal Past.” Associated Press, May 28 2002.
Alexandra Zavis, “As Peace Returns to Sierra Leone, Many Live with Legacy of the Brutal Past.” Associated Press, May 28 2002.
2
Alex Yearsley, “For a Few Dollar$ More: How Al Qaeda Moved into the Diamond Trade.” April 17, 2003, at
www.globalwitness.org
. Global Witness, London.
Alex Yearsley, “For a Few Dollar$ More: How Al Qaeda Moved into the Diamond Trade.” April 17, 2003, at
www.globalwitness.org
. Global Witness, London.
3
United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, UNHCR spokesperson Maya Ameratunga, press briefing, February 15, 2002, Freetown.
United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, UNHCR spokesperson Maya Ameratunga, press briefing, February 15, 2002, Freetown.
4
United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, UNAMSIL spokesperson Margaret Novicki, press briefing, March 22, 2002, Freetown.
United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, UNAMSIL spokesperson Margaret Novicki, press briefing, March 22, 2002, Freetown.
5
International Crisis Group, “Sierra Leone: The State of Security and Governance.” September 2, 2003, at
www.intl-crisis-group.org
. ICG, Brussels.
International Crisis Group, “Sierra Leone: The State of Security and Governance.” September 2, 2003, at
www.intl-crisis-group.org
. ICG, Brussels.
6
Ibid.
Ibid.
7
Christo Johnson, “A Very Large Stone from Sierra Leone.” Freetown, Reuters News Agency, April 26, 2002.1. Interview with Michael Owen, U.S. ambassador to Sierra Leone, August 15, 2011, via telephone.
CodaChristo Johnson, “A Very Large Stone from Sierra Leone.” Freetown, Reuters News Agency, April 26, 2002.1. Interview with Michael Owen, U.S. ambassador to Sierra Leone, August 15, 2011, via telephone.
1
Interview with Michael Owen, U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Aug. 15, 2011.
Interview with Michael Owen, U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Aug. 15, 2011.
2
International Monetary Fund Country Report No. 11/195, “Sierra Leone: Poverty Reduction Strategy PaperâProgress Report, 2008â10,” Washington, D.C.
International Monetary Fund Country Report No. 11/195, “Sierra Leone: Poverty Reduction Strategy PaperâProgress Report, 2008â10,” Washington, D.C.
3
Ibid.
Ibid.
4
Ibid.
Ibid.
5
Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1572 (2004), concerning Côte d'Ivoire, to the President of the Security Council, April 20, 2011, S/2011/272, items 289â290.
Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1572 (2004), concerning Côte d'Ivoire, to the President of the Security Council, April 20, 2011, S/2011/272, items 289â290.
6
Greg Campbell, “Blood Diamonds Are Back: Why the U.N.-Sanctioned System That's Supposed to Ensure That Gemstones Aren't Mined at Gunpoint Is Backfiring,”
Foreign Policy,
Dec. 24, 2009.
Greg Campbell, “Blood Diamonds Are Back: Why the U.N.-Sanctioned System That's Supposed to Ensure That Gemstones Aren't Mined at Gunpoint Is Backfiring,”
Foreign Policy,
Dec. 24, 2009.
7
Human Rights Watch, “Zimbabwe: Rampant Abuses in Marange Diamond Fields; Police, Private Security Guards Attacking Miners” (New York, Aug. 30, 2011). See also
http://www.hrw.org/africa/Zimbabwe
.
Human Rights Watch, “Zimbabwe: Rampant Abuses in Marange Diamond Fields; Police, Private Security Guards Attacking Miners” (New York, Aug. 30, 2011). See also
http://www.hrw.org/africa/Zimbabwe
.
8
Quoted in Campbell, “Blood Diamonds Are Back.”
Quoted in Campbell, “Blood Diamonds Are Back.”
9
Human Rights Watch, “Zimbabwe.”
Human Rights Watch, “Zimbabwe.”
10
Ibid.
Ibid.
11
Ian Smillie,
Blood on the Stone: Greed, Corruption, and War in the Global Diamond Trade
(London: Anthem Press, 2010).
Ian Smillie,
Blood on the Stone: Greed, Corruption, and War in the Global Diamond Trade
(London: Anthem Press, 2010).
12
Interview with Annie Dunneback, from her office in London, Dec. 6, 2011, via telephone.
Interview with Annie Dunneback, from her office in London, Dec. 6, 2011, via telephone.
13
IMF, “Sierra Leone: Poverty Reduction Strategy PaperâProgress Report, 2008â10.”
IMF, “Sierra Leone: Poverty Reduction Strategy PaperâProgress Report, 2008â10.”
14
“Witness to Truth: Report of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Vol. 2,” Oct. 2004, Freetown.
“Witness to Truth: Report of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Vol. 2,” Oct. 2004, Freetown.
15
Koidu Holdings press release, “Koidu Kimberlite Expansion Project Gains Momentum,” June 17, 2011, via email to the author.
Koidu Holdings press release, “Koidu Kimberlite Expansion Project Gains Momentum,” June 17, 2011, via email to the author.
16
National Advocacy Coalition on Extractives, “Sierra Leone at the Crossroads: Seizing the Chance to Benefit from Mining,” March 2009, Freetown.
National Advocacy Coalition on Extractives, “Sierra Leone at the Crossroads: Seizing the Chance to Benefit from Mining,” March 2009, Freetown.
17
Report of the Jenkins-Johnston Commission of Enquiry, March 2008, Freetown, pp. 85â89.
Report of the Jenkins-Johnston Commission of Enquiry, March 2008, Freetown, pp. 85â89.
18
“Koidu Kimberlite Expansion Project Gains Momentum.”
“Koidu Kimberlite Expansion Project Gains Momentum.”
19
Koidu Holdings untitled press release, March 24, 2011,
http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com/archives/21309
(accessed Dec. 7, 2011).
Koidu Holdings untitled press release, March 24, 2011,
http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com/archives/21309
(accessed Dec. 7, 2011).
20
“Koidu Kimberlite Expansion Project Gains Momentum.”
“Koidu Kimberlite Expansion Project Gains Momentum.”
21
Mark Doyle, “Sierra Leone âRiddled with Corruption,'” BBC News, Freetown, Nov. 14, 2007.
Mark Doyle, “Sierra Leone âRiddled with Corruption,'” BBC News, Freetown, Nov. 14, 2007.
22
Sierra Leone Anti-Corruption Commission, Annual Report, 2009, Freetown.
Sierra Leone Anti-Corruption Commission, Annual Report, 2009, Freetown.
23
“Corruption in Sierra Leone: Rich Pickings; Bad Apples Are Still in the Barrel,”
The Economist,
March 17, 2011.
“Corruption in Sierra Leone: Rich Pickings; Bad Apples Are Still in the Barrel,”
The Economist,
March 17, 2011.
24
David Tam-Baryoh, “Corruption in Sierra Leone: Who Will Guard the Guards?”
Worldpress.org
, Jan. 15, 2002,
http://www.worldpress.org/Africa/352.cfm
(accessed Dec. 7, 2011).
David Tam-Baryoh, “Corruption in Sierra Leone: Who Will Guard the Guards?”
Worldpress.org
, Jan. 15, 2002,
http://www.worldpress.org/Africa/352.cfm
(accessed Dec. 7, 2011).
25
“Corruption in Sierra Leone.”
“Corruption in Sierra Leone.”
26
“Witness to Truth: Report of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Vol. 1.” 2004. Freetown.
“Witness to Truth: Report of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Vol. 1.” 2004. Freetown.
27
“Sierra Leone's Corruption Problem, a Mortal Enemy: The government is having some rare success in trying to eradicate an old sore,”
The Economist,
Nov. 19, 2009.
“Sierra Leone's Corruption Problem, a Mortal Enemy: The government is having some rare success in trying to eradicate an old sore,”
The Economist,
Nov. 19, 2009.
28
I paid this office a visit on my way back to Freetown, asking what the FSU was doing about the child laborers I'd witnessed just up the road. The administrator I spoke to said she had no knowledge of children breaking rocks in the quarries, but said she would investigate.
I paid this office a visit on my way back to Freetown, asking what the FSU was doing about the child laborers I'd witnessed just up the road. The administrator I spoke to said she had no knowledge of children breaking rocks in the quarries, but said she would investigate.
INDEX
Abacha, Sani
Abdullah, Abdullah Ahmed
Abdullah, Ibrahim
Aberdeen
Abidjan Freight
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Adams, John
“A Diamond is Forever,”
Afghanistan
AFRC.
See
Armed Forces Revolutionary Council
See
Armed Forces Revolutionary Council
Agriculture
Aideed, Mohammed Farah
Aircraft
See also
Helicopters
See also
Helicopters
Airports
AKâ47s.
See
Kalashnikov AKâ47s
See
Kalashnikov AKâ47s
Alchemists
Alpha Zulu
See also
Nassour, Aziz
See also
Nassour, Aziz
Al Qaeda terrorist network
See also
Revolutionary United Front, diamond sales to Al Qaeda; September Al Qaeda attacks
See also
Revolutionary United Front, diamond sales to Al Qaeda; September Al Qaeda attacks
“Amazing Grace,”
Amistad
(schooner)
(schooner)
Amnesty International
Amputations
“Amputation is forever,”
prostheses for
Anglo-American Corporation of South Africa
Angola
Camafuca
UNITA rebels in
Annan, Kofi
Antwerp
Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC)
See also
Revolutionary United Front, AFRC/RUF forces
See also
Revolutionary United Front, AFRC/RUF forces
Arms trade.
See under
Weapons
See under
Weapons
Asscher, Joseph
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