Kimberley Process sparks questions over development in Kono region

Kimberley Process Negotiations and the History of Sierra Leone Blood Diamonds

Twenty-five years ago marked the beginning of negotiations for the Kimberley Process, an international system designed to halt the trade of conflict diamonds. Between 1991 and 2002, the civil war in Sierra Leone resulted in more than 120,000 deaths, widespread mutilations, rapes, and the forced recruitment of thousands of child soldiers. During this period, the parallel diamond economy generated up to 125 million dollars annually, serving as the primary funding source for the conflict and highlighting the complicity of Western firms.

Key Clinical Takeaways:
• Negotiations for the Kimberley Process started 25 years ago to eliminate conflict diamonds originating from the Sierra Leone civil war.
• The civil war between 1991 and 2002 caused over 120,000 deaths and relied on a diamond trade worth up to 125 million dollars a year.
• The global diamond industry established origin-control standards to shift toward ethical extraction, though questions remain about development in the Kono region.

Industry Standards and the Shift Toward Ethical Extraction

Following intense scrutiny over the financing of the civil war, major diamond-producing countries and international diamond groups established origin-control standards through the Kimberley Process to prevent a recurrence of the trade. A quarter-century later, the industry promotes an image of ethical extraction chains and development stones designed to benefit both major corporations and local communities. This messaging forms a core component of public relations campaigns across the global diamond sector.

Sustained Realities in the Kono Region

Despite the implementation of international control frameworks, questions persist regarding whether the former blood diamonds have genuinely translated into local development within the Kono region of eastern Sierra Leone, which served as the primary epicentre of the civil war.