Newsletter of National Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) in Sierra Leone

Newsletter of National Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) in Sierra Leone

October 2004

Kamakwie Diamond Rush: Boom or Gloom?

Kamakwie, a small town in the Sella Limba chiefdom in Bombali district, Northern Sierra Leone, has become the latest attraction for many people who pitch their future on precious stones called diamonds. Since effective mining, though informal and disorderly, started in 2000, Kamakwie has played host to ceaseless armies of fortune seekers who come from all over the country, and even farther afield. They are pretty desperate to get rich overnight. This mass exodus of all sorts of people has over-stretched the few public amenities and infrastructure to breaking point, thereby bringing the whole township and its environs to near chaos, lawlessness and human suffering.

Kamakwie has become densely populated; statistics given by the Mines Monitoring Office in the township indicate that about 70 percent of those presently engaged in active mining in Kamakwie and the surrounding villages migrated from Kono, Kenema and Bo districts which have a long history of diamond mining in the country. Majority of them are Northerners who have been in the diamond business in various capacities for a very long time. Since there are no guest houses and the existing dwelling structures cannot cope with the influx, those who can afford it, especially dealers, spend the nights in Makeni and go in the morning to transact their businesses. But majority of the people, especially the miners/diggers, either sleep in the open or in shacks hurriedly made up of mud and sticks. There are no means of communication between the township and the rest of the country; and the road leading to Kamakwie, like many others across the country, is appalling. This makes movement of people and goods from one place to another painfully slow, frustrating and hazardous.

This deplorable situation has had a lot of health and social implications for the residents. Cost of living has become unbearably high with prices of basic foodstuffs skyrocketing by the day. There are very few latrines and no protected water wells in the township. The great majority of the people defecate in the nearby bushes; whilst the entire population depends on streams for their sources of water for various uses, including drinking. These streams too are continually contaminated and polluted by mining activities. There is a widespread fear that if concrete measures are not taken immediately, there is the potential for cholera and diarrhea outbreaks before the rainy season bids farewell.

Kamakwie was predominantly an agricultural area before the discovery of diamonds. Local inhabitants grew tobacco, pepper, groundnuts and the staple food, rice. They largely depended on these produce/products for their livelihoods. But the current spate of mining taking place in the chiefdom has caused them to abandon their arable lands to engage in mining. In the process, the environment is destroyed and residents exposed to mining-related hazards caused mainly by irresponsible and unsupervised mining activities.

But the story of Kamakwie and its new-found wealth is not just about doom and gloom; there is a bright sunshine beyond the dark lining. Besides the income which mining is bringing to the communities by way of taxes and rents, an opportunity has also been created for the indigenes to actively engage in the industry. As at press time, the Minister of Mineral Resources, Alhaji Mohamed Swarray-Deen and his deputy, Alhaji Morlai Bai Kamara, confirmed that about 60 mining licenses have been issued in Kamakwie alone. More people have applied for licenses, which are now being processed.

Alhaji A. K.Kamara of the Mines Monitoring Office in Kamakwie says almost all the bushes in the Sella Limba chiefdom have been demarcated by mines wardens and that mining activities are more concentrated in the villages. Licenses are issued to only people who have been screened by a small committee chaired by the Paramount Chief to ensure that applicants are true indigenes of the community. However, most of the license holders are supported/financed by non-indigenes, most of whom are foreign nationals.

Mining in Kamakwie is not “spot mining” where diamonds are concentrated in a specific location. Diamonds are sparingly distributed thereby making it difficult to find them. But so far winnings are said to be bright and spotless. The most recent winning, and indeed the biggest winning since mining started in the chiefdom, was a 56.87 carats diamond found in Kagberray village near Kamakwie on 30 August 2004. Its actual value is yet to be ascertained, according to the Mines Monitoring Office in Makeni, since receipts of sales are not yet brought in.

The regional mining engineer in Makeni, Mr. Sullay S. Sankoh, admitted however that despite this mad rush, the government is yet to carry out a geological survey to assess the potentials and geography of diamond deposits in the region. He says that in the absence of such an exercise, it would be difficult to tell whether the diamond deposits will last long. However, he is optimistic that there are potentials for the existence of kimberlite dykes in Kamakwie and in Kambia, all in the Northern Province. Meanwhile, the Acting Deputy Director of the Geological Survey in the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Mr. Trill S. C. Gouldson, has confirmed that the Sierra Leone Development Company (SLDC) is presently carrying out an exploration exercise in these areas to ascertain the extent and viability of the kimberlitic structure in the Northern region.