Identification

• A blood diamond, as defined by the United Nations, is a "diamond that originates from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and is used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council." In other words, a blood diamond is any diamond that is mined in a war zone. These diamonds are mined and sold in secret, with profits going to fund war efforts. Often, young children are forced into mining these diamonds. The diamonds are sold as legitimate, legal diamonds on the international market.
  
  

Geography

• Blood diamonds have been trafficked in the war-torn countries of Angola, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Congo and Zimbabwe. Illegal trade has also gained momentum outside Africa in countries such as Venezuela and Lebanon. Lebanon has no diamond deposits, yet it is exporting more diamonds than it imports. It is thought that conflict diamonds might also fund al-Qaida.
  
  

History

• The illegal diamond trade wasn't officially recognized until 1997, when the United Nations sanctioned Angola, forbidding the sale or purchase of diamonds from the country. Estimates show that nearly 20 percent of the diamond trade in Angola was put to illegal ends, mostly to finance the country's conflict. Sierra Leone gained independence from Great Britain in 1961, and the president encouraged illegal diamond production to shore up support. In 1991, civil war broke out, and conflict diamonds played a large part. Warlords tried to gain control of key diamond areas. The fighting took a bloody toll, with thousands of women raped and taken as sex slaves. Children were forced into militias, and more people were killed or butchered. Today, fighting continues in Congo, with illicit trade in minerals fueling the fight.
  
  

Kimberley Process

• To stem the flow of conflict diamonds, the United Nations created an official certification procedure known as the Kimberley Process. Nations exporting diamonds must certify that their diamonds were obtained legally. The process accounts for diamonds from mining to sales on the market. Nations that have joined the Kimberley Process formerly agreed not to trade diamonds with countries that have not joined.
  
  

Solutions

• Diamond-industry groups and human-rights activists advise consumers to be wary when purchasing diamonds. They encourage consumers to ask before buying. Questions include where the diamond came from, whether the company has a policy regarding conflict diamonds and whether the company can guarantee that its diamonds are conflict free.