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What are Blood Diamonds?
Blood Diamonds, also
known as Conflict Diamonds, are used in the illegal trading of diamonds
to finance conflict, civil wars and human rights abuses in Africa.
Profits from this illegal diamond trade in diamonds have been used by
warlords and rebels in Africa to buy arms. The countries involved in the
illicit trading of blood diamonds include Angola, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
The History of African Blood Diamonds - Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa which is
bordered by Guinea on the north and Liberia on the
south, with the Atlantic Ocean on the west of this
African country. Between 1991 and 2000, Sierra Leone
endured a devastating civil war. The major source of
hard currency in Sierra Leone consists of the diamond mining. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in
Sierra Leone attempted to overthrow the government, and
an illicit diamond trade was used to fund the war
effort. These gems were referred to as African Blood
Diamonds or Conflict Diamonds. The Civil War in Sierra
Leone claimed over 75,000 lives and caused 500,000 to
become refugees, and displaced half of the population of
Sierra Leone (4.5 million people) to become displaced.
From 1989 to 2003 Liberia, an adjoining country of
Sierra Leone, was also engaged in a civil war and became
the main route for exporting conflict or blood diamonds
from Sierra Leone.
History -
The United Nations (UN) highlights the issue of African Blood Diamonds
The United Nations identified the issue of African Blood
Diamonds being used as a source of funding for the civil
wars in Africa in 1998.
History -
Meeting in Kimberley, South Africa to discuss Blood Diamonds
In May 2000 a meeting of the diamond producing countries
of South Africa was convened in Kimberley, South Africa.
The illicit trade in conflict or blood diamonds was
discussed and how to halt the trade and a process of
assuring buyers that diamonds had not been used to
finance or contribute to the internal violence in
Africa.
Blood Diamond History - Banning the Trade in African Blood / Conflict Diamonds
The
trade in the Conflict or Blood Diamonds of
Africa, including those from Sierra Leone, was curbed by
the World Diamond Council on January 17 - 18 2001 when
the the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS)
was created to:
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Implement an international certification system strictly regulating
the export and import of diamonds
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Introduce legislation in all countries to accept only officially
sealed packages of diamonds
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All
diamond rough would be certified as coming from a non-conflict
source.
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To
bring pressure on countries to impose criminal charges on anyone
trafficking in conflict diamonds
The KPCS
( Kimberley Process Certification Scheme ) and its recommendations were
given approval by the UN ( United Nations) on March 13, 2002. It was
agreed that all diamond rough would be certified as coming from a
non-conflict source.
Conflict / Blood Diamond History - Action by the US following UN
resolutions
The United States is
the largest consumer of diamonds in the world. The United States has
acted in accordance with the UN resolutions as follows:
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January 18, 2001: President Clinton issued Executive Order 13194
prohibiting the importation of rough diamonds from Sierra Leone
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May
22, 2001: President Bush issued Executive Order 13213 prohibiting
the importation of rough diamonds from Liberia
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July
29, 2003: Clean Diamond Trade Act (CDTA) implemented which states
"As the consumer of a majority of the world’s supply of diamonds,
the United States has an obligation to help sever the link between
diamonds and conflict and press for implementation of an effective
solution."
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The
CDTA US law requires that all US diamond retailers buy diamonds from
manufacturers who have documentation warranting that the merchandise
was obtained through legitimate channels
Canada
has also passed legislation to control the import, export and transit of
rough diamond in Canada.
Conflict History - The Trade in Conflict or Blood Diamonds
continues...
Despite resolutions,
sanctions and laws the illegal trade in Conflict or Blood Diamonds
continues. The illicit diamond trade is believed to fund armed conflict
in the Côte D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) in Africa and may finance terrorists
groups such as al Qaeda, although this has not been proved.
The Blood Diamond Movie
The 2006 Blood Diamond
movie is a thrilling drama starring Leonardo Dicaprio. For Additional
Information about this subject please click the following link:
Blood Diamond Movie
Conflict / Blood Diamond -
Africa - African -
Guide - Sierra Leone - Facts - Information
Info about the Blood Diamond movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny
Archer
Blood Diamonds
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