The News Review:
- Fighting diamond smuggling in Africa
- Awareness Times News Briefs from Sierra Leone
- Diamond Dealer Cripples APC, PMDC In Kono, Sierra Leone
- PRESS RELEASE: SIERRA LEONE BAR ASSOCIATION
Fighting diamond smuggling in Africa
Christian Science Monitor – Jul 30, 2007
Spread across the muddy, cratered moonscapes, hundreds of hunched men still break their backs day after day sifting through wet gravel with crude shovels and sieves. Last winter the Oscar-nominated movie ‘Blood Diamond’ cast Hollywood’s bright lights on the brutality of a war that was funded by diamonds dug by hand out of these mud pits then exchanged for weapons and exported to Europe where they were cut, polished, packaged, and sold to consumers seeking a symbol of enduring love. Since the diamond-fueled wars in Sierra Leone and neighboring Liberia have ended, the amount of diamonds coming from conflict zones has dropped from 15 percent during the mid-1990s to only 0…
Spread across the muddy, cratered moonscapes, hundreds of hunched men still break their backs day after day sifting through wet gravel with crude shovels and sieves. Last winter the Oscar-nominated movie ‘Blood Diamond’ cast Hollywood’s bright lights on the brutality of a war that was funded by diamonds dug by hand out of these mud pits then exchanged for weapons and exported to Europe where they were cut, polished, packaged, and sold to consumers seeking a symbol of enduring love. Since the diamond-fueled wars in Sierra Leone and neighboring Liberia have ended, the amount of diamonds coming from conflict zones has dropped from 15 percent during the mid-1990s to only 0. With the help of international organizations and donor nations, Sierra Leone has made great strides in regulating its diamond industry, and Liberia just announced that it will lift its six-year-old moratorium on the mining, sale, and export of diamonds on Monday. But, despite the gains, shortcomings remain. “Smuggling is still happening across West Africa and as a consumer you still can’t be sure of what you’re getting,” says Annie Dunnebacke, a campaigner at the London-based advocacy group Global Witness.
Awareness Times News Briefs from Sierra Leone
Awareness Times – Jul 30, 2007
Earnest Bai Koroma has reportedly called on the people of Kenema City to change their attitudes. He admonished the citizenry in that part of the country when addressing thousands of his supporters dressed in their party color which is red, at the Kenema City football field. NEC Boss Bitter with YouthsThe Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Dr. Christiana Thorpe was quoted to have expressed dissatisfaction over some youths of this country for favoring violence during political rallies.
Diamond Dealer Cripples APC, PMDC In Kono, Sierra Leone
Awareness Times – Jul 30, 2007
Sidibay was quoted to have told the youths of Kono that he was calling on them to vote SLPP simply because it is the only political party that is capable of taking the country forward. He was reported to have cited examples of the achievement of the SLPP in Kono District and the country at large. Most of the youths in that part of the country are reported to have agreed on any thing said by Sidibay, describing him as a philanthropist who is always ready to assist mankind. “Only recently, Sidibay rented a house for the Bagdad Group after the group was ejected from their usual business place by the Briwa family in Kono for supporting SLPP”, 38 year old Sahr Borbor said.
PRESS RELEASE: SIERRA LEONE BAR ASSOCIATION
Awareness Times – Jul 30, 2007
The association wishes to add its voice to the numerous calls for a peaceful, free and fair election on the 11th day of August 2007. This being a very crucial epoch in the history of our beloved country we frown at any act(s) or omission(s) that will be inimical to the creation of a level playing field to ensure a peaceful and violence free election. The association will do all in its power to ensure that the tenets of a modern democracy are upheld and will promptly support any legitimate move to uphold the constitution of Sierra Leone which is the supreme law of the land. We hereby request all stakeholders especially political parties and their supporters to avoid any form of violence or acts of intimidation during the entire electioneering process.