Sierra Leone
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Sierra Leone is a tropical country located along the Atlantic in the southwestern part of the West African bulge. It is bordered to the south by Liberia and to the north and east by Guinea. Although Sierra Leone has experienced a significant amount of emigration during the past decade, the population continues to grow at a steady rate and is currently around 4 million. Freetown, the capital and largest city, is home to approximately 320,000 inhabitants.
When first reading the physical description of Sierra Leone, one can bring to mind images of a tropical paradise in exotic Africa. For the people who live in the country, however, the reality is a far cry from the fantasy. Over the past decade, social, economic and political changes in Sierra Leone have caused unrest in the country that is almost beyond what anyone could imagine; the main target of this conflict, struggle over ownership and mining rights of Sierra Leone's diamond mines: "Sierra Leone remains one of the poorest countries, despite its diamond wealth. Or rather because of it. The diamond mines are central to the conflict in two ways. One, they provide the spoils. Two, they are providing the RUF with the money to continue waging war". The struggle to control the diamond market has led many outside countries to sponsor and actively engage in what has become one of the most brutal conflicts in modern history. As one author notes, "Rival mining companies, security firms and mercenaries-from Africa, Europe, Israel and the former Soviet Union-have poured weapons, trainers and fighters into Sierra Leone, backing the government or the Rebels in a bid to win cheap access to diamond fields".
In addition, numerous stories have come poring out of Sierra Leone describing the terror and fear ingrained in most citizens. The terror is a direct result of the brutal killings and forced amputations, which the RUF deems necessary to keep the citizens of Sierra Leone weak and unable to flee. One report from Sierra Leon noted that currently, there are an estimated 20,000 people who have been victims of forced amputations, thousands of them children. Further approximately 75,000 citizens have died in the war in Sierra Leone that began in 1991.