Company–Community Conflicts Over Diamond Resources in Kono District, Sierra Leone
2013
Wilson, Sigismond
Utilizing actor-oriented political ecology and social movements approaches, this article examines the dynamics surrounding company–community conflicts over diamonds in Sierra Leone, using Kono District as a case study. Surveys of 240 households in four diamondiferous chiefdoms, semiformal interviews, focus groups, and secondary data sources provided data for this article. Findings of this study show that post conflict mining reforms and actions of mining companies, the state and traditional leaders favor industrial mining expansion over artisanal mining. Such actions have reinforced unequal power relations over access to land and diamond mining rights to the disadvantage of mining communities and bred company–community conflicts in Kono District. The article argues that strategies that even out power differentials so that local communities benefit more from regulation relative to corporations and other powerful actors can improve the success of mining reforms and reduce the risk of community–company conflicts jeopardizing peace and security.
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