(Rapaport…March 25, 2002) Sierra Leone’s finance minister, Peter Kuyembeh, told the BBC that his government is unable to control the illicit diamond mining that still takes place in the country. A Certificate of Origin initiative was introduced in 2000, but most people close to the situation in Sierra Leone say it has not been effective in stopping illegal diamond smuggling.
Kuyembeh said that the Sierra Leone government is trying to build up other sectors of the country’s economy and reduce its reliance on diamond mining.