BBC
'Oil discovered' off Sierra Leone
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8259335.stm
16 September 2009
A US oil firm has announced the discovery of a deepwater oil well off the coast of Sierra Leone.
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation said it confirmed the existence of an "active petroleum system" in the Sierra Leone-Liberian basin.
Two years ago, oil was discovered off Ghana by the same drillers.
Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world and still faces the challenge of reconstruction after a brutal civil war which ended in 2002.
The country is also rich in diamonds and other minerals, but the trade in illicit gems, known as "blood diamonds" for their role in funding conflicts, perpetuated the civil war.