Sierra Leone’s Kono District

Sierra Leone’s Kono District

Kono is a district in Sierra Leone’s war-torn, diamond rich eastern province. The area is also rich in other natural resources and has been dubbed Sierra Leone’s “bread basket” for its financial importance.

 

The district’s capital Koidu – also known as Sefadu – is Sierra Leone’s fourth largest city. It is also a diamond trading center. The district borders Guinea in the east and is adjacent to the Liberian border.

 

Kono has produced some nine million carats of diamonds over the years, including some of the world’s largest diamonds: the 969.8-carat “Star of Sierra Leone” diamond was discovered in the area in 1972, and is the world’s third-largest diamond. The 620-carat Sefadu diamond was recovered in 1970 and is the world’s seventh-largest.

 

The province also has several gold deposits and great agricultural potential, but since diamonds were first recovered in the area in the 1930s, they have dominated its financial activities.

 

The area’s diamond deposits have been extensively harvested by local and foreign companies, as well as by illegal miners. The incessant mining has left the province ragged, damaging the soil, preventing agricultural cultivation and leaving the province impoverished and hungry.

 

Sierra Leone’s civil war (1991-2002) left the province in near-ruins, as it was a source for blood diamonds used by the rebels to finance the conflict.

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