At least 12 people have died following mass layoffs at diamond miner Koidu Holdings in eastern Sierra Leone, where nearly 900 workers were dismissed without severance pay, the workers’ union said on Monday.
The United Mineworkers’ Union said the company’s decision to terminate hundreds of employees at its Koidu Kimberlite Project in Kono District has triggered a humanitarian crisis marked by deaths, family dislocation, and rising unemployment in the diamond-rich region.
“Families are suffering. Some of the dismissed workers have died, others have sustained permanent injuries, and many are struggling to feed their children,” a union representative told Truth Media in Kono. “Koidu Holdings has refused to pay severance and benefits owed to long-serving staff.”
Koidu Holdings, a subsidiary of Octea Limited, has been one of Sierra Leone’s largest private employers in the mining sector. It has faced repeated criticism from labour groups and local residents over alleged unsafe working conditions and poor compensation.
Among those affected is Osman Bucklin Shaw, a former assistant project manager who said he worked for the company for 21 years. Shaw told local media he lost several toes in a 2010 workplace accident but received no medical insurance or compensation.
Labour rights advocates have called on the government to intervene and compel the company to settle outstanding benefits, warning that the layoffs could deepen poverty and unrest in a district long dependent on diamond mining for income.
“This is not just a labour dispute — it’s a humanitarian issue,” said a civil society activist in Kono. “Without jobs or compensation, families are breaking apart, and despair is spreading.”
Officials from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Koidu Holdings has also not issued a public statement addressing the allegations.
The layoffs come amid wider economic challenges in Sierra Leone, where youth unemployment and inflation have risen sharply in recent months, intensifying public frustration in mining communities that contribute significantly to national revenue but remain among the poorest in the country.
By Sam Suluku
