Diamonds in war, diamonds for peace

During Sierra Leone’s civil war (1991–2002), the country’s diamonds became famous—not for their high quality, but because they were “blood diamonds,” gems that were traded and smuggled in support of a brutal and protracted civil war. Widely viewed as having both funded and prolonged the war (Maconachie and Binns 2007b; Smillie, Gberie, and Hazelton 2000; Reno 1997; Hirsch 2001), diamonds are today a key resource in the country’s post-conflict reconstruction.