Concord Times (Freetown)
Joshua Kawa
28 June 2002
Kono — Despite government's and the UN Security Council's ban on the former Revolutionary United Front rebel movement's involvement in illicit mining, ex-combatants of the movement are still engaged in mining and smuggling of diamonds.
After the sale of diamonds, they are most times seen spending extravagantly in entertainment spots and on women. On Tuesday June 25, two top ex-RUF ex-combatants, Captain Mohamed Amara alias Blood and Cpt. Thomas Vandi and their subordinates, clashed in the Kono settlement of Nimikoro.
They fought with weapons like knives, sticks and mining equipment. The fight lasted for an hour.
The fight was over six pieces of diamonds, Le6 million and $ 135 US which a girlfriend of the two captains escaped with. Captain Blood suspected captain Vandy of not only snatching his girlfriend, but also of conniving with her to escape with the diamonds and the money.
Narrating the cause of the fight to journalists at Niminkoro, Cpt. Blood said he fell in love with Mahawa Kanneh (who escaped with the proceeds) when he and his boys attacked Kono in 1997.
"Surprisingly and craftily Cpt. Thomas Vandi, then Commander of the Kailahun axis happened also to fall in love with the same Mahawa Kanneh in 1998. He then planned to abduct her and take her to Kailahun and later to Liberia", he said.
Capt. Blood said he strongly suspected that Cpt.
Thomas Vandi got wind of the pieces of diamonds and money entrusted to Mahawa. "It was he who incited her to escape with them", he added.
Cpt. Blood insisted that Cpt. Vandi, knew the whereabout of Mahawa Kanneh. He said that was why he and his boys attacked Vandi. Both parties sustained serious injuries.
No arrest was made.
When the police at Tankoro was contacted, they told Concord Times that, since no guns were used in the fight, they did not carry out any arrest.
"Government should however try to retrieve the diamonds from the Mahawa girl", a senior police at Tankoro said. Meanwhile, youths in Kono have called on local authorities to stop all ex-combatants from engaging in illicit mining.
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