Conflict Diamonds

By Woro Swasti

conflict diamond

The term ‘conflict diamonds’ refer to diamonds mined in warzone areas and sold for funding the war. These diamonds are also described with the terms ‘blood diamonds’ or ‘gem-o-cide’.

Conflict diamonds have been the main source of money to pay the cost of war in African countries. These countries including Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Congo, Ivory Coast, South Africa, and Namibia.

The war with conflict diamonds funding can be for or against a government. Generally, the diamonds are smuggled to neighboring countries and sold illegally.

Civilians are the most victims caught in the middle of the wars over diamonds. Thousands of people have died, and millions more have lost their homes. The civilian workers have excessively worked hard for gaining the diamonds, but hardly any money from selling diamonds reached them. Although the diamonds bring in billions of dollars in profit, the ordinary civilians always remain poor.

To stop the use of conflict diamonds for war and contributing to human rights abuses, the international diamond industry and diamond trading nations founded the Kimberley Process in May 2000 in Kimberley.

Forty-five countries contributing for The Kimberley Process, these countries accounts for 99.8% of the diamonds production in the world. The Kimberley Process requires the participants to provide documentation and certify all of their rough diamonds are free of conflict diamonds.

The Kimberley Process has been limiting conflict diamonds in the diamond market, but smuggling of those diamonds are still continue and accounts for about 2 – 3 % of diamonds traded today.

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