It DIAMOND RESOURCES AND CONFLICTS IN AFRICA: A CASE STUDY OF THE SIERRA LEONE CONFLICT (1985- 2002) BY TWALIB ABDALLAH MBARAK C50/P/8554/2004 A PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE REQUIREMENT OF A MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE IN ARMED CONFLICT AND PEACE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI 2009 DECLARATION THIS IS MY ORIGINAL WORK AND TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, HAS NOT BEEN PRESENTED FOR A DEGREE IN ANY OTHER UNIVERSITY Q (ll __ TWALIB ABDALLAH MBARAK THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED WITH OUR APPROVAL AS UNIVERSITY SUPERVISORS 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my thanks to my wife who in the year 2001 fully encouraged and supported me to join the University of Nairobi as a self-sponsored student. That is the time when I started my diploma in “armed conflict studies” and began developing an interest in issues of peace and armed conflict thus decided to pursue further studies. This project paper is a culmination of this endeavor. I have managed to reach this stage as a result of the support from my family and the lecturers at the Department of History and in particular my supervisors Prof. Vincent G. Simiyu and Dr George Gona. I do also thank all Kenyan military officers who accepted to be interviewed for the purpose of this research. These officers had served in Sierra Leone under UNAMSIL. I also thank all those who in one way or another helped me in carrying out this research. It will be difficult to mention each of them by name. It is my hope that this project will add value to the quest of managing armed conflicts in the world and specifically in Sub -Saharan Africa. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION.................................................................................................................II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................. Ill TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................. IV ABBREVIATIONS........................................................................................................... VI ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................... VIII MAP OF WEST AFRICA................................................................................................ IX MAP OF SIERRA LEONE................................................................................................X MAP OF SIERRA LEONE.............................................................................................. XI CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION..............................................................................12 1.1 Background to the study........................................................................................................................12 1.2 Resource conflicts in perspective.........................................................................................................16 1.3 Statement of the Research Problem................................................................................................... 19 1.4 Objectives of the study............................................................................................................................21 1.5 Research hypotheses................................................................................................................................21 1.6 Justification of the study....................................................................................................................... 21 l .7 Scope and Limitations...............................................................................................................................23 1.8 Literature Review................................................................................... 24 1.9 Theoretical Framework......................................................................................................................... 34 1.10 Methodology............................................................................................................................................44 1.11 Conclusion............................................................................................. ,.................................................46 CHAPTER TWO: DIAMOND INDUSTRY IN COLONIAL SIERRA LEONE, 1930 - 1961............................................................ 47 2.1 Introduction.................................................................. !..........................................................................47 2.2 The Colonial Era ....................................................................................................................................... 49 2.3 The Diamonds and the Arrival of Multi-National Corporations............................................. 51 2.4 The Beginning of Local Discontent..................................................................................................... 56 2.5 Conclusion................................................................................................................................................... 63 CHAPTER THREE : THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY IN POST COLONIAL SIERRA LEONE, 1961 - 1992..........................................................................................................65 3.1 Introduction...............................................................................................................................................65 3.2 The M argai Regime (1961-1967)...............................................................................................................68 3.3 Siaka Stevens Rule 1968- 1985...............................................................................................................72 3.4 Joseph momoh rule, 1985-1992...............................................................................................................80 3.5 Conclusion................................................................................................................................................... 84 CHAPTER FOUR: THE CIVIL WAR, 1992-2002........................................................86 4.1 Introduction................................................... 86 4.2 The Revolutionary United Front (RUF)..............................................................................................87 4.3 The Fragile Peace Accords..................................................................................................................... 92 4.4 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................110 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION................................................................................I ll BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................116 IV APPENDICES. 126 APPENDIX I: QUESTIONNAIRE ................. ......• •••• . 126 APPENDIX II: PICTORIAL...................................••••••••••••••••••••••••••« . 128 S ABBREVIATIONS AFRC Armed Forces Ruling Council APC All Peoples’ Congress CDF Civil Defence Forces DDR Disarmament, Demobilisation and Displacement ECOMOG Economic Community Monitoring Group ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States EO Executive Outcome ICC International Criminal Court IDP Internal Displaced Persons KPM Kono Progressive Movement MADA Mining Area Development Administration » OAU Organization of African Unity NDMC National Diamond Mining Company NPFL National Patriotic Front of Liberia NPRC National Provision Ruling Council RUF Revolutionary United Front SLA Sierra Leone Army SLPP Sierra Leone People’s Party SLST Sierra Leone Selection Trust UNAMSIL United Nations Mission for Sierra Leone VI UNDP United Nations Development Program UNHCR United Nations High Commission for Refugees UNOMSIL United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone ABSTRACT This historical research is an analysis of how mineral wealth fueled a conflict in Sierra Leone to the disadvantage of its citizens. The study demonstrates how mismanagement of natural resources can create a systematic destruction of state institutions leading to a climax of political, economic and social discontent thus fueling a prolonged and brutal armed conflict. The study also postulates that the management of natural resources can inevitably lead to or fuel an armed conflict. The study focuses on a systematic historical narration showing how the diamond sector in Sierra Leone was mismanaged from the colonial to post colonial era. The study further shows how the international community played a role in the mismanagement of the diamond industry in Sierra Leone through a corrupt and disjointed international diamond marketing system. The study tested two hypotheses: first, if the-mismanagement of the diamond industry was # the one that fueled the conflict in Sierra Leone and secondly, if regional instability affecting the diamond industry exacerbated the conflict in Sierra Leone. The study used both primary and secondary sources to arrive at the conclusion of this study. V lll MAP OF WEST AFRICA (PORT, i _ _ _ . Qlbraltariii'-i Algiers : Tun(s MALTA L Lit J N "Valletta TUHJfclA Sf APf JK A McaiterraMcM’ ■..as.ihlamu. ISLWDS'PORT.. Marrakech CANARV ISLANDS * (SP) f MAURITANIA Nouakchott Ttimbou CAPE VERDE* Dakar, CHAP Praia Eh EGA Niamey Banjul Bamako j v ; THE GAMBIA •Kano * Bissau?. Ouagadou .J : N'Djame na