Sierra Leone's history
1991 -- Former army Corporal Foday Sankoh leads
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) attacks on Sierra
Leone border towns from Liberia.
1992 -- RUF starts to target civilians in Sierra Leone,
their hallmark being amputations. 120,000 flee to Guinea.
1994 -- RUF takes over Sierra Leone diamond
areas. The capital Freetown is
threatened. More than 50,000 have been killed and about half the country's 4.5
million people have been displaced.
1995 -- RUF beaten back from Freetown and diamond
areas liberated.
1996 -- Sierra Leone elections marred
by RUF violence. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah becomes president. RUF and Kabbah sign a
peace accord.
1997 -- Soldiers release 600 prison inmates and
seize power to form the Armed Forces Ruling Council. Kabbah flees. Major Johnny
Paul Koroma, a former coup plotter, becomes chairman and invites RUF to join
government.
1998 -- ECOMOG (Economic Community Cease-fire
Monitoring Group) launches offensive on Freetown driving out AFRC/RUF. Kabbah
returns. Sierra Leone armed
forces disbanded. AFRC/RUF continue to attack towns and villages throughout
country. U.N. peacekeepers sent in.
1999 -- AFRC/RUF attack Freetown killing 6,000 civilians before
ECOMOG push them back. Peace setllement agreed. Foday Sankoh given role in
government. U.N. approves 6,000 peacekeeping force.
2000 -- RUF kidnap 500 peacekeepers. UK sends
in paratroopers. Sankoh detained. U.N. imposes global embargo on diamond
exports from Sierra
Leone.
Angola's history
1992 -- After 14 years of civil war, elections
held and MPLA win, but a presidential runoff is required as the vote is closely
split between MPLA's Eduardo do Santos
and UNITA's Jonas Savimbi. Election result rejected by UNITA before second
election, and civil war continues.
1993 -- U.N. reports up to 1,000 people dying
every day, more than in any other conflict in the world at the time.
1994 -- Lusaka Protocol is signed, but fighting
continues. Joint Commission set up comprising the U.N., government and UNITA,
with U.S., Portugal and Russia as observers.
1996 -- Fighting continues in diamond areas.
1997 -- Serious violations of the cease-fire,
including attacks on civilians by both UNITA and the government. U.N. freezes
UNITA bank accounts and closes their overseas offices.
1998 -- Fighting escalates. Both sides lay mines
around their postions including diamond reserves. U.N. prohibits export of
unofficial diamond exports.
1999 -- Diamonds worth $150 million produced in
conflict areas and $468 million from non-conflict areas.
Democratic Republic of Congo
1997 -- Laurent Kabila wins power.
1998 -- Civil war revived by rebel movement
backed by Rwanda and Uganda, which
control diamond area.
1999 -- Official production of diamonds worth
$396 million.
2000 -- Army claims Rwandan and Ugandan troops
have "massacred" civilians around the diamond area in the east of the
country.