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Illegal diamond dealers to be arrested

Country Map - Sierra Leone IRIN
    ABIDJAN

    Mineral Resources Minister Mohamed Deen said on Friday that Sierra Leone’s army and police had been ordered to arrest any traders suspected of buying diamonds from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), SLENA reported.

    The measure, SLENA said, followed a ‘New York Times’ report earlier this month which concluded that dealers in Kenema were buying gems from the RUF, in contravention of a UN ban on the trade in conflict diamonds.
    “Any licensed diamond dealer caught selling conflict diamonds to export companies or any of those companies found buying conflict diamonds will be prosecuted and, if found guilty, will have their license confiscated,” Deen told Reuters.

    He said international efforts to curb the sale of conflict diamonds had met with success in Sierra Leone. Legitimate sales, he said, had increased revenue from US $1.5 million in 1999 to $10.07 million in 2000.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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