Wikipedia
Koidu Town (also known commonly as Koidu or, or Sefadu) is the capital, largest city, and economic center of the diamond-rich Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Koidu Town is the fifth largest city in Sierra Leone by population (after Freetown, Bo, Kenema and Makeni) and the second largest city in the Eastern Province, after Kenema. The city is a major business, commercial and diamond trade center, and lies approximately 270 miles east of Freetown.
The city's municipality is officially known as Koidu–New Sembehun. The municipality of Koidu–New Sembehun had a population of 82,899 in the 2004 census (a 2006 estimate being 111,800).
Koidu Town is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse cities in Sierra Leone. The city is inhabited by significant numbers of many of Sierra Leone's ethnic groups, with no single ethnic group forming a majority. Most of the foreign diamond workers in Kono District reside in the city. The Krio language is by far the most widely spoken language in Koidu Town and is primarily used as the language of communication in the city.
The city of Koidu Town is locally governed by a directly elected city council, headed by a mayor. Like the rest of Kono District as a whole, Koidu Town is politically considered a swing district ( swing state in the United States) as it could go either in support of the Sierra Leone People's Party or the All People's Congress, Sierra Leone's two major political parties, in presidential, parliamentary, and local councils elections.