The term "conflict diamond" refers to a diamond mined in a war zone to fund some sort of rebellion against an authority or group of people. Conflict diamonds fund brutal civil wars around the world, particularly in Africa.
For example, from 1989 to 2001, Liberia was engaged in a civil war. In 2000, the UN accused Liberian president Charles G. Taylor of funding the Revolutionary United Front in neighbouring Sierra Leone with weapons and military training in exchange for diamonds.
In 1991, The RUF started a civil war, because they felt that the current government was corrupt and mismanaging diamond resources. This war devastated the country, resulting in the deaths of 50 000 people, and the destruction of a substantial amount of infrastructure.
The rebellion was led by former Sierra Leonean army corporal Foday Sabana Sankoh, and backed by Taylor. Their main goal was for the RUF to attack the bases of Nigerian run peace keeping operations in Freetown, who were opposed to the rebel movement. Within a month of entering Sierra Leone from Liberia, the RUF controlled most of Eastern Sierra Leone, including the diamond mines. The rebel strategy was to strong and well equipped for the impoverished Sierra Leonians, and they were unable to properly fight back. The RUF raped, murdered and injured the population, and even used child soldiers to achieve their goal.
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