The 2007 Koidu-Sefadu protest was a protest by 400

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

ans in the town of

Koidu-Sefadu Koidu Town (or Sefadu) is the capital and largest city of the diamond-rich Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The population of Koidu Town is 124,6based on the 2015 Sierra Leone national census. Koidu Town is the fifth larg ...

in Eastern Province. The protest was aimed at the local diamond

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

which the residents claimed to have harmed both them and the local environment. The result of the protest was a clampdown by Sierra Leonean police and the death of 2 protesters.

Background

Sierra Leoneans had flocked to the country's largest mine after the election of

Ernest Bai Koroma Ernest Bai Koroma (born 2 October 1953) is a Sierra Leone, Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018. Born and raised in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Koroma spent mo ...

in September 2007. On 12 December, the government removed the miners after it was agreed that the miners could keep any diamonds uncovered during their work.

14 December

On 14 December, local police were ordered into the mine area to protect the

Koidu Holdings Koidu Limited a subsidiary of OCTÉA Limited, is a locally registered Company in the Republic of Sierra Leone. History Formation After a JV was formed on 1 June 2002 Koidu Limited acquired the remainder of the 25-year mining lease agreement ...

company which runs the mine. Protesters had gathered at the gate, seeking housing and increased compensation for their sufferings. The police used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the protesters, killing two and injuring eight others.

Official reaction

On the issue of resettlement of displaced villagers, Minister of Mineral Resources

Alhaji Hajji ( ar, الحجّي; sometimes spelled Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since it ...

Abubakarr Jalloh said the "company is relatively slow in building the resettlement". Minister Jalloh also sought for the miners to leave the area. President Koroma temporarily halted diamond mining across the country as a result of the incident.

Sources

S. Leone halts mining after 2 die in diamond riots

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...

, 14 December 2007 2007 in Sierra Leone

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

{{SierraLeone-hist-stub

Background

14 December

Official reaction

See also

Sources