The News Review:
- Sierra Leone frets over Blood Diamond image
- UN Extends Sierra Leone Mission
- Sierra Leone gets massive debt write-off
- Sierra Leone’s failing health
Sierra Leone frets over Blood Diamond image
Washington Post – Dec 18, 2006
correction {margin-top:8px;padding-top:10px;margin-bottom:8px;border-bottom:1px solid #CCCCCC;padding-bottom:10px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;color:#333333;}. correction strong {color:#CC0000;text-transform:uppercase;}Sierra Leone frets over Blood Diamond imageBy James Knight and Katrina MansonReutersMonday, December 18, 2006; 7:23 AMFREETOWN (Reuters) – The Hollywood movie “The BloodDiamond” about gem smuggling in Africa could hinder SierraLeone’s postwar recovery as its struggles to legitimize itsvital diamond exports, officials in the West African state say. The Oscar-tipped film, which has taken in $18. 4 million sofar in the United States, stars Leonardo DiCaprio as anex-mercenary involved in gem smuggling in 1990s Sierra Leone. It plays out against a backdrop of the former Britishcolony’s 1991-2002 civil war, fueled by the trade in illicitstones and notorious for mutilations meted out by RUF rebels. “I am worried the film may be detrimental to the industryin Sierra Leone,” said Mohamed Swaray Deen, minister of mineralresources.
UN Extends Sierra Leone Mission
San Francisco Chronicle – Dec 22, 2006
tmpl –>(12-22) 19:14 PST UNITED NATIONS, (AP) — The Security Council voted unanimously Friday to extend the mandate of the U. peacebuilding mission in Sierra Leone, a country outgoing Secretary-General Kofi Annan called a success story.
Sierra Leone gets massive debt write-off
Independent Online – Dec 19, 2006
The write-off covers debts owed by the West African country to the World Bank, the IMF, African Development Bank, commercial creditors, and other governments. The debt relief follows the completion by Sierra Leone’s government of an economic programme overseen by the World Bank and the IMF. “At last Sierra Leone is getting the debt relief that is necessary,” Mats Karlsson, the World Bank’s country director for Sierra Leone said in a statement.
Sierra Leone’s failing health
BBC News – Jan 4, 2007
It is estimated that up to 40% of the population remain traumatised by the war, yet the country has just one trained psychiatrist. Despite the aid there is little basic infrastructure, and the largely privatised healthcare system is beyond most people’s means, forcing them to seek alternative, potentially dangerous healthcare, such as witch doctors. New doctrineThe UK’s only “successful humanitarian intervention”, Sierra Leone continues to be held up by Tony Blair as proof of the success of the “new doctrine of international community” introduced in a 1999 speech which justified later interventions into Afghanistan and Iraq. In total Sierra Leone receives over $300m per year – although its population is just five million people. But the country has few roads, little running water and less than 10% have access to electricity. According to a British assessment Sierra Leone is unlikely to meet any of its Millennium Development Goals…
Despite the aid there is little basic infrastructure, and the largely privatised healthcare system is beyond most people’s means, forcing them to seek alternative, potentially dangerous healthcare, such as witch doctors. New doctrineThe UK’s only “successful humanitarian intervention”, Sierra Leone continues to be held up by Tony Blair as proof of the success of the “new doctrine of international community” introduced in a 1999 speech which justified later interventions into Afghanistan and Iraq. In total Sierra Leone receives over $300m per year – although its population is just five million people. But the country has few roads, little running water and less than 10% have access to electricity. According to a British assessment Sierra Leone is unlikely to meet any of its Millennium Development Goals.