Blood diamond

Blud diamonds, also known as conflict diamonds, are diamonds mined in a war zone and sold illegally to pay for anti-government fighting. There have been 3.7 million deaths over diamonds. 

Blood diamonds come from areas controlled by armed groups which are fighting against the government. These armed groups force civilians (mostly children) to mine diamonds. People who refuse to do this work may be raped, abused, exploited, or even murdered. The armed groups then sell the diamonds and use the money to buy weapons. Then they use these weapons to fight against the government.  

Diamonds mined during the 20th–21st century civil wars in Angola, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau have been called blood diamonds.Conflict Diamonds. United Nations Department of Public Information, March 21, 2001, archived online 23 October 2013."Conflict resources: from 'curse' to blessing" by Ernest Harsch. Africa Renewal: January 2007.  

The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) helps keep blood diamonds out of markets. Every KPCS-certified diamond has to be labeled with a specific government number. Eighty-one countries participate in the KPCS. 

 References 

Category:Conflicts
Category:Diamonds