The News Review:
- Al-Qaeda linked to African diamonds
- The Controversial Commando
- ECOWAS Council of Elders meets in Accra.
Al-Qaeda linked to African diamonds
BBC News – Jun 14, 2004
The source was cross-checked. The detailed revelations concern the period just before the attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001, but much of the diamond trade is unregulated – meaning it could still be taking place. Still trading?The former United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Joe Melrose, told the BBC he found the new book credible. He claimed that al-Qaeda had hidden suspect cash by buying gemstones, and could still be doing so now. “Certainly they were laundering some. I’ve never had a great deal of doubt about that and I’ve spoken to people in the Sierra Leone government who say they’ve never had that doubt as well,” Mr Melrose said.
The Controversial Commando
Guerrilla News Network – Jun 14, 2004
“To be honest, though, I am doubtful that the folks awarding the contract had any sense of Spicer’s spicier history. ” But not everyone agrees with this assessment of Spicer’s work. In Sierra Leone, Spicer’s efforts have been heralded by the private military industry as the “work of angels. ” In 1998, Sandline was contracted to sell 30 tons of arms to the forces of Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, the former leader of Sierra Leone, in contravention of a UN arms embargo but in apparent cooperation with Craig Murray, a junior staffer at the British Foreign Office. Doug Brooks, the president of International Peace Operations Association (IPOA), a non-profit advocacy group for private military companies including Sandline, says the company’s assistance in Sierra Leone saved the lives of thousands of civilians. “Sandline was remarkably effective,” Brooks said. “Their goal of restoring the democratically elected government was achieved.
ECOWAS Council of Elders meets in Accra.
Free with registration – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire – AccessMyLibrary.com – Jun 14, 2004
ECOWAS Council of Elders meets in Accra. | Asia Africa Intelligence Wire (June, 2004).