Blood diamond facts for kids
Blood diamonds are also known as conflict diamonds. These are diamonds dug up in areas where there is a war. They are sold to help pay for fighting, rebel groups, or armies. The name "blood diamonds" shows the bad effects of the diamond trade in some parts of the world. Diamonds from civil wars in countries like Angola, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Liberia have been called blood diamonds. Sometimes, these diamonds are also smuggled by criminal groups and sold illegally.
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How Diamonds Fund Wars
Diamonds are very small and light, but they are worth a lot of money. This makes them easy to move and sell to fund conflicts. Digging for diamonds deep underground needs big machines and a lot of money. But diamonds found closer to the surface, called alluvial diamonds, can be dug up cheaply with simple tools. This makes them easier for rebel groups to get and sell.
Even if fighters don't control the diamond mines, they can still make deals to get money from future diamond sales. This means that valuable natural resources can help pay for wars, even if the fighters don't have them yet. This can make new wars possible or make existing wars last longer.
Because of this, many groups, governments, and diplomats have worked to create rules. These rules aim to stop natural resources from funding wars. They hope this will help end conflicts faster. After the Cold War, the United Nations Security Council put bans on resource exports in ten different conflicts.
History of Conflict Diamonds
Reports from the 1980s showed that a large part of all diamonds sold were used for illegal or unethical reasons. By 1999, the World Diamond Council said that illegal diamond trade had dropped a lot. By 2004, it was almost gone. Today, more than 99% of diamonds sold are legal.
Angola
Even with UN bans, a group called UNITA in Angola kept selling diamonds to pay for their war. The UN asked Robert Fowler to find out how this illegal trade was happening. In 2000, he wrote the Fowler Report. This report named the countries and people involved in the trade. It helped show the link between diamonds and wars in poor countries. This led to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. However, even after this, some smugglers still sold blood diamonds through less obvious ways, like social media.
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast started mining diamonds in the early 1990s. A coup (a sudden takeover of the government) in 1999 led to a civil war. Ivory Coast became a way to smuggle diamonds from nearby war-torn countries. To stop this illegal trade, the country stopped all diamond mining. In 2005, the UN Security Council banned all diamond exports from Ivory Coast. This ban was lifted in 2014. Even so, some illegal diamond trade still happens in Ivory Coast. These diamonds are smuggled out of the country to help rebel groups get weapons.
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has had many wars. But it joined the Kimberley Process in 2003. It now sells about 8% of the world's diamonds. However, there have been warnings about fake Kimberley certificates for diamonds from this area. One of De Beers' most famous diamonds, the Millennium Star, was found in the DRC.
Liberia
From 1989 to 2003, Liberia was in a civil war. In 2000, the UN said that Liberian president Charles G. Taylor was helping rebels in Sierra Leone. He gave them weapons and training in exchange for diamonds. In 2001, the United Nations put bans on Liberia's diamond trade. In 2003, Taylor stepped down. He was later found guilty of serious crimes during the war and was sent to prison.
After the 1998 United States embassy bombings, a group called al-Qaeda reportedly bought diamonds from Liberia. This happened when some of their other money was frozen.
Now that Liberia is peaceful, it is trying to build a legal diamond mining industry. The UN has lifted its bans, and Liberia is now part of the Kimberley Process. However, in 2014, it was reported that some Liberian diamonds were dug up using child labor.
Sierra Leone
The Sierra Leone Civil War lasted from 1991 to 2002. It caused at least 50,000 deaths. A rebel group called the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) caused much of the violence. The RUF took control of diamond mines to get money. They mined up to $125 million worth of diamonds each year. Since diamonds were used to fund the war, they also led to tax evasion and support for crime. The United Nations Security Council banned diamond sales in 2000, but lifted it in 2003. These wars caused over four million deaths and injuries to over two million people in Africa. Sierra Leone is still listed as one of the top producers of conflict diamonds.
Republic of Congo
The Republic of the Congo was removed from the Kimberley Process in 2004. This was because the country was selling many diamonds but could not explain where they came from. It was also accused of faking certificates. The Republic of the Congo was allowed back in 2007.
Zimbabwe
Diamonds from Zimbabwe are not considered conflict diamonds by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. In 2010, the Kimberley Process agreed that diamonds from Zimbabwe's Marange Diamond Fields could be sold worldwide. This was after a report said these diamonds were conflict-free.
Stopping Blood Diamonds
Global Witness was one of the first groups to notice the link between diamonds and wars in Africa in 1998. The United Nations then saw that conflict diamonds were funding wars. The Fowler Report in 2000 showed how a group called UNITA was paying for its war. This led to a meeting in Kimberley, South Africa. Diamond-producing countries met to plan how to stop the trade in conflict diamonds. They wanted to make sure diamond buyers knew their diamonds did not support violence.
Kimberley Process Certification Scheme
The World Diamond Congress in Antwerp agreed in 2000 to stop conflict diamond sales. They called for an international system to certify diamonds when they are exported and imported. This system would make it a crime to trade in conflict diamonds. It would also ban anyone caught trading conflict diamonds from diamond trading places. The Kimberley Process was started by South Africa and Canada. Every year, new countries are chosen to lead the process. This system tracks diamonds from the mine to the market. It also sets rules for checking the export, making, and selling of diamonds. Countries that are members of Kimberley are not allowed to trade with non-members. Before a diamond can be sent to another country, a Kimberley Certificate must be shown. Customers can also ask for this certificate when buying diamonds in a store.
In 2001, diamond industry leaders formed the World Diamond Council. This group worked to create a way to certify that all rough diamonds came from non-conflict areas. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was approved by the UN in 2002. It was created after two years of talks between governments, diamond companies, and non-government groups.
The Kimberley Process tries to stop the flow of conflict diamonds. It helps make unstable countries more stable and supports their growth. By making it harder for criminals, the Kimberley Process has brought many diamonds into the legal market. This has increased money for poor governments. For example, Sierra Leone legally sold about $125 million worth of diamonds in 2006. Before, they sold almost none.
Transparency
The Kimberley system tries to make governments more open about their diamond trade. It makes them keep records of how many diamonds they export and import, and how much they are worth. In theory, this helps people see how governments are spending money for their country. However, some countries, like Venezuela, have not followed these rules.
Government Actions
American Policy
In 2001, President Bill Clinton banned rough diamonds from Sierra Leone from coming into the United States. President George W. Bush later banned rough diamonds from Liberia. The UN had said Liberia was a way for conflict diamonds from Sierra Leone to be smuggled.
The United States passed the Clean Diamond Trade Act (CDTA) in 2003. This law put the Kimberley Process rules into U.S. law. This law was very important because the United States buys most of the world's diamonds. The CDTA says that the U.S. has a duty to help stop the link between diamonds and conflict. The United States Department of State also has a special office for conflict diamonds.
Canadian Policy
In the 1990s, many diamonds were found in Northern Canada. Canada is now a big player in the diamond industry. Partnership Africa Canada was created in 1986 to help with problems in Africa. This group is also part of the Diamond Development Initiative. This initiative helps improve the legal diamond industry.
Canada strongly supported the Kimberley Process. Canada has passed laws to help stop the trade of conflict diamonds. These laws control how rough diamonds are imported, exported, and moved through Canada. The Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act was passed in 2002. It says that the Kimberley Process is the minimum rule for certifying rough diamonds. All diamond shipments need a special Canadian Certificate. This certificate allows officials to stop any diamond shipment that does not meet the rules.
The Government of the Northwest Territories of Canada also has a special program. They offer a government certificate for diamonds mined, cut, and polished there. Canadian diamonds are tracked from the mine to the store. They have a special number carved on them. To get this certificate, the diamond must be cut and polished in the Northwest Territories.
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See also
In Spanish: Diamantes de sangre para niños
