Illegal diamond smuggling has turned portions of modern Africa into underdeveloped and overridden with rebels. Fraught with the evils of greed and violence, Sierra Leone continues to suffer from the blood diamonds being smuggled out every day. Greg Campbell, the author of
Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World’s Most Precious Stones, proclaims “The discovery of those diamonds-- which, until then, had been deemed to be just another worthless piece of gravel by the locals-- placed Sierra Leone on a course that would effectively destroy the entire country by the end of the century” (Campbell, 9). He goes further to explain that the turmoil that diamond smuggling has created in Sierra Leone has turned the country into nothing more …show more content…
He was a “diamond mule” for the RUF. The difficulty of his labor is described by Campbell, “The mules were required to carry up to 100 kilos of equipment each, and a twisted ankle, fatigue, or even a low pace was enough of an excuse for their RUF captors to shoot them and dump their bodies in the woods” (Campbell, 61). They would walk a round trip, nonstop, to the border of Liberia; transporting diamonds there, and weapons and ammunition back. Osman eventually got away, only to lose his mind due to the horrors he had experienced and seen (Campbell, 62). The experienced of Osman and people like him are inhumane, with no way out. Even if they manage to escape the slavery and cruelty, there is not enough help provided to them. Campbell expresses this, saying “there were too many refugees and not enough humanitarian aid to go around” when discussing the state of the city Freetown which is full of amputees and beggars (Campbell, 27). Through his words a responsibility is placed upon all …show more content…
The continual sale of diamonds is what keeps the war in Sierra Leone going. The issue that Campbell identifies, is that “all those who have ever coveted this wealth- government regimes, smugglers, lovers, merchants -- have historically never cared where they found or under what conditions they were extracted so long as they could turn a profit” (Campbell, 12). If the mentality of both peoples and companies remains the same, then the profit will only continue to grow, and the inhumane treatment, mass murder and overall disregard to human life will not stop. A major part of the issue is the fact that the majority of people are unaware of the conditions in which the diamonds they buy are mined. Campbell mentions that this has only recently been brought to light for the public diamond consumers (Campbell, 13). He places a great responsibility on governments after showing Singers justification for his smuggling in which he blames the government as the reason why he results to illegal activities. Singer says, “if the government made it easier to buy legitimate diamonds, people like me wouldn’t have to deal with these savages. But I’m a business-man. What else can I do?” (Campbell, 43). The problem then becomes ‘who is to blame?’ is it the government that makes legitimate business difficult or the companies that buy smuggled diamonds and sell them to
Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World’s Most Precious Stones, proclaims “The discovery of those diamonds-- which, until then, had been deemed to be just another worthless piece of gravel by the locals-- placed Sierra Leone on a course that would effectively destroy the entire country by the end of the century” (Campbell, 9). He goes further to explain that the turmoil that diamond smuggling has created in Sierra Leone has turned the country into nothing more …show more content…
He was a “diamond mule” for the RUF. The difficulty of his labor is described by Campbell, “The mules were required to carry up to 100 kilos of equipment each, and a twisted ankle, fatigue, or even a low pace was enough of an excuse for their RUF captors to shoot them and dump their bodies in the woods” (Campbell, 61). They would walk a round trip, nonstop, to the border of Liberia; transporting diamonds there, and weapons and ammunition back. Osman eventually got away, only to lose his mind due to the horrors he had experienced and seen (Campbell, 62). The experienced of Osman and people like him are inhumane, with no way out. Even if they manage to escape the slavery and cruelty, there is not enough help provided to them. Campbell expresses this, saying “there were too many refugees and not enough humanitarian aid to go around” when discussing the state of the city Freetown which is full of amputees and beggars (Campbell, 27). Through his words a responsibility is placed upon all …show more content…
The continual sale of diamonds is what keeps the war in Sierra Leone going. The issue that Campbell identifies, is that “all those who have ever coveted this wealth- government regimes, smugglers, lovers, merchants -- have historically never cared where they found or under what conditions they were extracted so long as they could turn a profit” (Campbell, 12). If the mentality of both peoples and companies remains the same, then the profit will only continue to grow, and the inhumane treatment, mass murder and overall disregard to human life will not stop. A major part of the issue is the fact that the majority of people are unaware of the conditions in which the diamonds they buy are mined. Campbell mentions that this has only recently been brought to light for the public diamond consumers (Campbell, 13). He places a great responsibility on governments after showing Singers justification for his smuggling in which he blames the government as the reason why he results to illegal activities. Singer says, “if the government made it easier to buy legitimate diamonds, people like me wouldn’t have to deal with these savages. But I’m a business-man. What else can I do?” (Campbell, 43). The problem then becomes ‘who is to blame?’ is it the government that makes legitimate business difficult or the companies that buy smuggled diamonds and sell them to