| April 2001 | Archive | Read article | © Marcus Bleasdale (lab) and Kadir van Lohuizen (Agence Vu) reportage The heart of the matter |
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| In April 2000 photographer Kadir van Lohuizen managed to obtain a laissez passer signed by RUF-leader Foday Sankoh to enter RUF territory. The young photographer Marcus Blaesdale who joined van Lohuizen on this trip was lucky that no one manning the RUF-checkpoints was capable of reading, as his name was not on the lassez passer. Their aim: photographing the diamond mining which has fueled Sierra Leone's civil war. To view story please scroll to the right |
Where the stones are |  |
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Diamond city |  |
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The rebels |  |
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| With air compressed in a gasbottle divers are looking for diamonds in the Sewa river Kadir van Lohuizen | A mine owner surveys his men panning for diamonds on the Sewa river outside Kenema, Sierra Leone Marcus Bleasdale | Miners on the shores of the Sewa River pass up gravel from the open pits Marcus Bleasdale | A diamond mine owner shows a diamond Kadir van Lohuizen | Kenema is a diamond town in goverment controlled territory. The business is dominated by Lebanese traders. Kadir van Lohuizen | Cigarettes for sale in front of a mural depicting diamond mining, Kenema Kadir van Lohuizen | Lebanese bussinessman Mr Bittar in his diamond shop, Kenema. Some Lebanese have been accused of buying illegal diamonds from the RUF Marcus Bleasdale | RUF-rebels in their camp in Tongo Kadir van Lohuizen | RUF-rebels lead kidnapped children to work in the mines in Koidu Marcus Bleasdale | RUF-major Bengali and collegues at the RUF Headquarters in Tongo Marcus Bleasdale | |||||