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Sierra Leone
This is a western Africa country that is between Guinea and Liberia, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Diamonds started being discovered around 1930. Along with diamonds other goods were also being found in Sierra Leone such as gold, iron, ore, and chromite. In the early 90’s a war was occurring in Sierra Leone as a result to the diamonds. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) committed terrible acts against the people of Sierra Leone. Within that time the population was taken to work in the diamond mines. Within those eight years of war thousands of people had to leave the country due to all of the war and terror in the country. Sierra Leone was the main location of where more than half of the diamonds were found and traded. In 1999 the UN security started up a group called the UNAMSIL (United Nation Mission in Sierra Leone) which was created to help restore peace in Sierra Leone. At its peak the group consisted of 17,000 troops and was the biggest UN peacemaking operation in the world.
Sierra Leone Angola Ivory Coast
Source: 2005. World Diamond Council. 19 Jul 2007 <http://www.diamondfacts.org/>
