Blood diamond expert testifies against Charles Taylor

Ian Smillie, a Canadian expert on the trade in diamonds linked to conflicts or "blood diamonds," told the three-judge panel how the illegal diamond trading fueled the war in Sierra Leone.
Taylor, the first former African leader standing trial before an international tribunal, was charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his involvement in the 10-year civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone, which ended in 2002.
He allegedly supported the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone who committed murder, rape and mutilation of civilians, and arms trafficking and the use of child soldiers, aiming to gain control of the country`s mineral wealth, particularly its diamond mines.
Smillie said diamonds were the primary funding source of RUF, which forced captives to work as slaves in diamond fields and initiated a campaign of terror to strengthen their grip of the treasure. According to Smillie, most the illicit diamonds were smuggled out of Sierra Leone through Liberia.
"Such illicit trade cannot be conducted without the permission and involvement of Liberian government officials at the highest levels," Smillie said.