HRW Report Details Human Rights Abuses Linked to Sierra Leone Mining Operations

Human Rights Watch released a report documenting corporate impacts in Sierra Leone’s mining sector. The investigation found that the government of Sierra Leone and African Minerals Limited forcibly relocated hundreds of families from verdant slopes to a flat, arid area in Tonkolili District. This relocation meant residents lost their ability to cultivate crops and engage in income-generating activities. The report also noted that police carried out a crackdown in the town of Bumbuna in April 2012 against workers who went on strike after being barred from forming a union.

The findings detail how economic development projects in the country proceeded despite the potential for rights abuses against local populations. The report highlights the tension between economic growth and the protection of human rights in the country's mining boom.