Blood Diamond

KOIDU, Sierra Leone (AFP) - It has been weeks since miner Sembo Sesay found a diamond in this eastern Sierra Leone town, whose soil was once littered with the stones that fuelled one of Africa's bloodiest wars.  

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/dgc8tm/sierra_leone_tel) has announced the addition of the "Sierra Leone - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband" report to their offering. New International Fibre Link Expected to Boost Internet and Broadband Market: Following more than a decade of civil war, Sierra Leone has enjoyed peace, stability and rapid economic growth since 2002. The country's...  

Decades ago the mine provided diamonds with which rebels bought weapons – hence the term, “blood diamonds.” But today, the same mine is beginning to result in renewed foreign investment that creates jobs for people in the area. The rebels with guns ...  

Former president of Liberia helped rebels plan atrocities and was paid in 'blood' diamonds First Reaction LAST UPDATED AT 13:06 ON Thu 26 Apr 2012 CHARLES TAYLOR, the former president of Liberia, was today guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes during the civil war in Sierra Leone, after a trial at a court in The Hague that has lasted almost five years. He becomes the first former head of state to be...  

A decade after a bloody conflict that saw at least 50,000 dead, Sierra Leone is joining Africa and the world stage in promoting its burgeoning film community. Its storytelling is becoming more and more available, especially through the Sierra Leone International Film Festival which boasts a year-round program which leads to an annual six-day celebration of movies. To delve deeper into the potential of this young world of filmmakers, fest...  

[JURIST] The Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) [official website] on Thursday convicted [judgment summary, PDF; press release, PDF] former Liberian president Charles Taylor [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] on all 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war. Trial Chamber II found unanimously that Taylor aided and abetted Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and Armed Forces Revolutionary...  

[JURIST] The chief prosecutor at the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) [official website] recommended Thursday that former Liberian president Charles Taylor [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] be sentenced to 80 years for war crimes. Taylor was convicted [JURIST report] last week on all 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 16, and...  

Janka Nabay stood apart from the Treefort Music Fest lineup before he even set foot on the stage at Neurolux March 22. The four-day festival is stocked up on indie-rock, but Nabay, a Sierra Leone-born artist known as the king of bubu music, was the only afropop act on the roster.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]  

Israeli Firm Starts Stone Crushing Plant at Well Managed Diamond Mine There are no more "blood diamonds" in Sierra Leone; instead, there are pockets of prosperity and an overriding sense of optimism as foreign investment pours into modern mining operations and other sectors of the economy, including construction and road building. Read more.Sierra Leone is one of Africa's great success stories. The country's potential is truly...  

The west African state of Sierra Leone has taken another symbolic step away from its wartime image as the home of the "blood diamond". An Israeli-owned company has started operating a big new stone-crushing plant at a modern diamond mine in the ...  

Addressing Sierra Leoneans including paramount chiefs, civil society groups, women's groups and others at the Miatta conference hall in Freetown past Saturday, President Ernest Koroma stated that the honeymoon for reckless journalism was over and that his ...  

Today's Hague verdict for former Liberian leader Charles Taylor is a reminder that no high-ranking state official can evade justice. April 26, 2012 International judges in the Hague have found former Liberian president Charles Taylor guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes during the Sierra Leone civil war."There is no doubt that today's verdict sends an important message to high-ranking state officials; no...  

LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands - Liberian ex-leader Charles Taylor was convicted Thursday of arming rebels who killed and mutilated thousands in Sierra Leone, in an historic verdict for international justice. Taylor, 64, was found guilty on all counts including acts of terrorism, murder and rape committed by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels, who paid him for arms with diamonds mined by ...  

It has been 10 years since the civil war in Sierra Leone ended. For Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, however, the war and its effects are engraved not just in the memories of the band members, but in the group’s very name. As listeners to t ...  

Three British supporters of Christian Aid have visited Sierra Leone to see how the country's Methodist Church is helping the country to recover from war. With Christian Aid Week beginning on 13 May, three Christian Aid supporters visited Sierra Leone to see how the Church is helping the country recover, a decade after it was devastated by civil...  

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone -- Thousands of people who survived Sierra Leone's brutal civil war a decade ago celebrated Thursday after learning that Charles Taylor had been convicted for his role in the conflict that left behind countless amputees and traumatized former child soldiers.  

[IPS] Freetown - Saffa Momoh Lahai was just two years old when his father was killed during Sierra Leone's civil war. Rebels attacked their family home in Kailahun District, in the eastern reaches of the country, and shot Lahai's father when he tried to resist.  

In a historic ruling, an international court convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor today of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity for supporting notoriously brutal rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone in return for "blood diamonds."  

In a historic ruling, an international court convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor on Thursday of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity for supporting notoriously brutal rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone in return for blood diamonds.  

Former Liberian president and warlord Charles Taylor has been found guilty of aiding and abetting atrocities committed during the civil war in Sierra Leone in an historic judgment. Charles Taylor was found guilty on all 11 counts (Picture: EPA) Presiding judge Richard Lussick told the Special Court for Sierra Leone that it had been proven 'beyond reasonable doubt' that Taylor was criminally responsible for providing...  

[IPS] Freetown - When the verdict against Liberia's former President Charles Taylor for war crimes in Sierra Leone is handed down on Thursday, it will be of no help to the many former combatants of the country's brutal civil war who have not been reintegrated into society. Instead, they will continue to pose a threat to Sierra Leone's future stability.  

LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- In a historic ruling, an international court convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor on Thursday of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity for supporting notoriously brutal rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone in return for "blood diamonds."  

Leidschendam, Netherlands— In a historic ruling, an international court convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor on Thursday of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity for supporting notoriously brutal rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone in return for "blood diamonds."  

In a historic ruling, an international court convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor on Thursday of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity for supporting notoriously brutal rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone in return for blood diamonds.  

In a historic ruling, an international court convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor on Thursday of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity for supporting notoriously brutal rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone in return for "blood diamonds." Taylor is the first head of state convicted by an international court since the post-World War II Nuremberg military tribunal. Prosecutors and defense lawyers both said they...  

An international court convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor on Thursday of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity for supporting notoriously brutal rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone in return for “blood diamonds.”  

Liberians in the capital of Monrovia expressed sorrow and anger over Thursday's war crimes conviction of their former president Charles Taylor, who is still considered by many Liberians to be a hero.The Special Court for Sierra Leone in the Hague found Mr. Taylor guilty of aiding and abetting crimes including murder, terrorism, rape, sexual slavery, and mutilations committed by rebel forces during Sierra Leone's civil war. The 11-year conflict...  

The Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Brenda J. Hollis, today applauded the conviction of Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Sierra Leone during its eleven-year civil war. ...  

The Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Brenda J. Hollis, today applauded the conviction of Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Sierra Leone during its eleven-year civil war. ...  

It seems such a long time ago that our television screens were filled every night with the latest atrocities committed in Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war. Yet even by the standards of the Dark Continent’s recent violent history, the conflict in Sierra Leone generated some of the most barbaric images of cruelty we have seen in modern times. The signature atrocity of the rebel forces ...  

Charles Taylor, a former warlord who was president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003, has been convicted on eleven counts of war crimesby the Special Court for Sierra Leone sitting in The Hague.  In a trial that began in 2006 and that, over the years, included lengthy testimony from Taylor and over a hundred other witnesses concerning conflict diamonds, amputations, and cannibalism, prosecutors sought to link particular war crimes in Sierra Leone’s...  

FREETOWN (Reuters) - Fighters in Sierra Leone raped and killed Halimatu Jalloh's sister during the country's civil war, but on Thursday the 27-year-old student felt the pain of her loss ease with the conviction of Charles Taylor, the Liberian leader who backed the rebels. Standing outside the local seat of the Special Court for Sierra Leone in Freetown, Jalloh's hand-painted sign said it all: "Orphans, widows, widowers, rape victims, amputees...  

People in Sierra Leone and Liberia say what the imminent verdict in the ex-president's war crimes trial will meanThe start of the rainy season in Freetown doesn't dampen the vibrancy of the city. Blue, pink and green houses line its narrow winding roads. Street sellers wrapped in brightly printed cloth swarm through the neverending traffic. People are trying to move on from the horrors of Sierra Leone's civil war. Some can even forgive, but...  

ON APRIL 26th the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone will make judicial history, giving its verdict on Charles Taylor, Liberia’s former president. He is accused of fuelling the decade-long savage civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone in the 1990s by, among other things, providing rebel groups with arms in exchange for “blood diamonds”. Six of the rebel leaders involved have already been convicted and jailed for...  

A special International Criminal Court has convicted ex-Liberian leader Charles Taylor on war crimes charges, finding him responsible for helping rebels who committed atrocities during a long civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone. (April 26)  

Nine years after the Kimberley Process was formed to stop the trade in conflict diamonds and ensure that diamond purchases were not funding violence, the KP has refused to evolve and address the clear links between diamonds, violence and tyranny.  

NORTH CALDWELL - Members of the West Essex High School National Art Honor Society created 35 portraits of less fortunate orphaned children in Sierra Leone, a West African nation plagued by civil war from 1991-2002. The portraits were hand-delivered to the ...  

The Benin-born actor, one of the most prominent film stars to come out of Africa, has appeared in blockbusters such as "Gladiator," "Amistad" and "Blood Diamond," and has worked with Hollywood royalty like Steven Spielberg and Leonardo DiCaprio.  

After decades of civil war, Sierra Leone is still one of the poorest countries in the world. But it is rich in warmth and spirit and a great place for the traveler who doesn't mind roughing it a bit.Contributor: Charles RayPublished: Apr 10, 2012  

Sierra Leone's only pit diamond mine has come far from its origins as wartime booty presented to mercenaries by a grateful military junta. Seventeen years and several changes of ownership later, Koidu Holdings is selling gems in outlets such as U.S ...  

KOIDU, Sierra Leone, April 4 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's only pit diamond mine has come far from its origins as wartime booty presented to mercenaries by a grateful military junta. Seventeen years and several changes of ownership later, Koidu ...  

It may be more than a decade since the guns fell silent in Sierra Leone, but memories are still fresh of the civil war that was fuelled by guns-for-diamonds deals allegedly masterminded by Charles Taylor, Liberia's former president.  

“According to the Gemological Institute of America, demand for colored diamonds has been unprecedented and The Rough Diamond Index has outperformed The Gold Index over the past 63 years, and the forecast for the next 5-8 years is even stronger ...  

Gold and GemStone Mining Inc. (OTCBB: GGSMD), an alluvial diamond and gold exploration and development stage mining company focused on Sierra Leone, West Africa has opened its mining development office in the Country's Capital, Freetown. GGSM has moved ...  

"China is the fastest growing new consumer market for diamonds in the world," said Peter Major, mining consultant at Johannesburg-based Cadiz Corporate Solutions. "And the Chinese are just a lot more prepared to invest in Africa than the ...  

Evidence surrounding the "dirty stones" allegedly given to the British supermodel Naomi Campbell by Charles Taylor was critical to linking the former Liberian warlord and president to crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone.  

BBC NewsTaylor Sierra Leone warcrimes trial verdict welcomedBBC NewsThe UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague said he aided and abetted war crimes during the Sierra Leone civil war. Taylor, 64, has been on trial for almost five years. "This is an incredibly significant decision," Elise Keppler from the ...Charles Taylor conviction sends warning to leaders around the world who ...Washington PostZimbabweans Reflect on Charles...  

Presiding Judge Richard Lussick said the 64-year-old warlord-turned-president provided arms, ammunition, communications equipment and planning to rebels responsible for countless atrocities in the 1991-2002 Sierra Leone civil war and was repaid by the ...  

ZyLAB reports that its investigative software helped The Special Court for Sierra Leone to prove its case against former Liberian president, Charles Taylor, who was accused of using "blood diamonds" to support rebel troops. In April, the court ...  

WHEN the guilty verdict in the trial of Charles Taylor was announced on April 26th, traffic did not stop in Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone, where the former Liberian president is deemed to have abetted war crimes in a brutal civil war. People did not ...  

(Photo: Saa Matthias BENDU-FDID-SL, author ... and religious leaders and whosoever… remember ours is fragile-peace. Conflict early warning and response has been described as the sine qua non of conflict prevention.It consists of the systematic ...  

The first African leader to stand trial for war crimes, Taylor was accused of directing Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in a campaign of terror to plunder Sierra Leone's diamond mines for profit and weapons trading. "The accused is ...  

The GuardianCharles Taylor found guilty of abetting Sierra Leone war crimesThe GuardianThe first African president to be prosecuted at an international court has been found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity for supporting rebels who carried out atrocities in Sierra Leone in return for "blood diamonds".Charles Taylor guilty of crimes against humanityABC OnlineLiberia Reacts to Taylor Conviction With Mixed...  

Taylor, 64, is accused by United Nations prosecutors of trading in "blood diamonds" to fund a brutal and bloody war carried out by rebels in Liberia's neighbouring Sierra Leone. Critical to their case was evidence that his staff gave Naomi Campbell a bag ...  

Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor was criminally responsible for arming Sierra Leone's rebels in return for blood diamonds, the UN special war crimes court of Sierra Leone sitting in The Hague ruled Tuesday after nearly a decade long trial. Taylor could ...  

Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, Sierra Leone's minister of information, says his government is keenly awaiting the verdict in the Taylor trial. "Our position is very clear. Charles Taylor was one of the people who put in place the structures that led to civil war in ...  

Sierra Leone has come a long way since its civil war ended in 2001. The resumption of iron ore exports, more than 30 years after the industry collapsed, an increase in diamond production and a budding tourism sector are all contibuting to a new ...  

Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor is set to hear a historic verdict on charges of arming Sierra Leone's rebels in return for "blood diamonds" in the 1990s. The decision on Thursday will be the first ever judgement against a former head of ...  

Prosecutors alleged that the RUF paid Taylor with illegally mined so-called blood diamonds worth millions, stuffed into mayonnaise jars. During the trial, prosecutor Brenda Hollis told the court: "Charles Taylor created, armed, supported and controlled the ...  

The Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Brenda J. Hollis, today applauded the conviction of Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Sierra Leone during its eleven-year civil war.  

Prosecutors alleged that the RUF paid Taylor with illegally mined so-called blood diamonds worth millions, stuffed into mayonnaise jars. During the trial, prosecutor Brenda Hollis told the court: "Charles Taylor created, armed, supported and controlled the ...  

[Concord] At the 6748th meeting of the United Nations UN Security Council held on Wednesday, April 11th, by 10 a.m. at the UN headquarters in New York, the Council followed up on a March 22nd briefing by the outgoing UN Representative to Sierra Leone, Michael von der Schulenburg and acknowledged Sierra Leone's steady progress thus far after its brutal civil war and stressed on the importance of all the...  

Midfielder, Mohamed Bangura's second half strike saw Kallon FC clinch the top seat from Diamond Stars who have failed to maintain their lead following their 1-1 draw with Ports Authority the same Sunday. It is the first time Kallon FC, the 2006 Sierra ...  

Paragon Diamonds, the African-focused diamond explorer and developer, announces an operational update on its alluvial diamond mine in Sierra Leone: On 31st August 2011, the Company announced it was placing its Konoma Alluvial Diamond Mine on care and ...  

The United States applauds today’s verdict of the Special Court for Sierra Leone in the case of Charles Taylor.   The conviction of Mr. Taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity during Sierra Leone’s civil war in the 1990s sends a powerful message about accountability.   Through the apprehension and successful trial of Mr. Taylor, the international community has kept faith with a signal that President Obama underscored in his remarks...  

Globe and MailLiberia's Charles Taylor, guilty of war crimes, to be sentenced May 30Montreal GazetteLEIDSCHENDAM — Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor will be sentenced on May 30 for war crimes for arming Sierra Leone's rebels in return for blood diamonds during the 1991-2001 civil war. "The sentence will be pronounced on May 30th at 11:00 am (local ...Charles Taylor aided and abetted Sierra Leone war crimes, Hague court findsThe GuardianEx...  

Globe and MailCharles Taylor convicted of 'aiding and abetting war crimes' in historic ...The IndependentFormer Liberian President Charles Taylor was today found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity by supporting brutal Sierra Leone rebels in return for blood diamonds. International judges in The Hague were delivering ...Charles Taylor aided and abetted Sierra Leone war crimes, Hague court findsThe...  

an international court convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor today of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity for supporting notoriously brutal rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone in return for "blood diamonds."  

When Mr Joubert redeveloped the diamond mine at Koidu ... can take credit for the focus on growth. Under President Ernest Bai Koroma, it has increased spending on agriculture from 1.6 per cent to 10 per cent and provided social safety nets including ...  

Charles Taylor, guilty of war crimes. He was convicted of abetting murder, rape, and the forced enlistment of child soldiers during Sierra Leone's civil war. Host Michel Martin talks about reactions in Liberia and Sierra Leone with journalist ...  

Prosecutors alleged that the RUF paid Taylor with illegally mined so-called blood diamonds worth millions, stuffed into mayonnaise jars. During the trial, prosecutor Brenda Hollis told the court: "Charles Taylor created, armed, supported and ...  

MSNBC - Found 2 hours agoTaylor, who was president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003, is accused of backing and giving orders to Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in the 11-year civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone that killed some 50,000 people.'Murder and mayhem'The prosecution says the RUF undermined a ceasefire ... ICC: Verdict due in Charles Taylor trial - CNN International court to...  

5K race benefits orphanage in wartorn Sierra LeoneFort Worth Star TelegramBy Nicholas Sakelaris COLLEYVILLE - A civil war that began in the African Republic of Sierra Leone in 1991 left the country devastated and millions of children without parents or homes. A decade after it ended, the effects are still being felt.  

AFP - An international court opened on Thursday its judgement hearing for Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor, accused of arming Sierra Leone's rebels who paid him in "blood diamonds". Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and red tie ...  

After they had completed raping her, Junior and Tamba Joe took the knives and they stabbed my wife to death.” “Well, they used to treat them [civilians] badly. They used to rape them. They used to kill them. Sometimes they even ate them.”  

FORMER Liberian President Charles Taylor has been found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity by supporting brutal Sierra Leone rebels in return for blood diamonds.  

Taylor stands accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity for allegedly arming fighters in neighboring Sierra Leone in exchange for "blood diamonds." During a brutal war that ended 10 years ago, about 50,000 people died in Sierra Leone.  

London-based Ingle and Rhode jewelers have launched an information graphic to spread awareness among the consumers about "blood diamonds" and how diamond trade regulatory body Kimberley is allowing conflict diamonds into the market. Five years ...