Tongo, Sierra Leone — In the diamond field-rich district of Kenema in the southeast of the country. This is a small-scale diamond mining operation called alluvial mining. Working in small cadres on mines with crude tools is a popular profession among men here in the Kenema District, but the pay is poor and the rewards seen are seldom or infrequent, at best. The workers only get paid when the diamonds are found. The middlemen who buy the stones from the miners prosper the most. Rebel forces from Liberia and Sierra Leone used diamonds to fund their wars -- gems for guns -- between 1990-2001. This trade led to the reputation of the Blood Diamond.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 06:58:42 +0000