Between 1991 and 2000, Sierra Leone experienced massive state and economic decline amidst a brutal
civil war. In a country that is minerally wealthy, but ruled by a corrupt and predatory government, a
`revolutionary¿ movement known as the RUF emerged, terrorising the civilian population and profiting
from the unsecured diamond industry.
The classic causes given for Sierra Leone¿s state collapse and consequent civil war have in large centred
around the adverse effects of colonialism, civil unrest due to rampant governmental kleptocracy, and regional
conflict spillover. However, the multiplicity of actors in Sierra Leone and the complexity of the environment
demonstrate that the ten year civil war revolved predominantly around the country¿s highly lucrative
diamonds.
Indoctrinated in Qadafi¿s Libya and trained by Taylor¿s NPFL rebels in Liberia, the RUF insurgency created
links through Charles Taylor to international criminals such as weapon¿s dealer Victor Bout, and international
terrorists including al Qaeda. In just a few years Sierra Leone attained the dubious distinction of being one
of the most globalised informal and illegal economies in the world.
To the backdrop of Sierra Leone¿s collapsed state, economic vacuum and brutal civil war, and within the
context of contemporary economic globalisation and an international `War on Terror¿, this paper discusses
the local, regional and international levels of economic exploitation throughout the wartime period, and
highlights how informal economies are inherently prone to large scale criminal predation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/2322 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Mitchell, Greg |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Working Paper, published version paper |
| Rights | © 2005 University of Bradford. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
| Relation | http://www.bradford.ac.uk/acad/peace/publications/papers/psp8full.pdf |
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