Blood Diamonds - Research Paper Example

(Gavin, 14) Conflict diamonds are sold in order to raise money for armed conflict weapons and civil wars. Profits from this trade are worth billions of dollars. This profit is used by warlords to purchase firearms during the rebel wars. Countries affected include Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. These wars have resulted to an estimated 3.7 million deaths. (Storm,26) Although the wars are now over and fighting rate has declined, the con of blood diamonds still persists. The diamonds mined in this rebel- held zones reach the international diamond market by, smuggling the diamonds into neighboring countries and exporting them into the international diamond market, as a legitimate diamond trade.

The hullabaloo surrounding conflict diamonds was reported in the 1990s. During this period, there were civil wars in Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia and the Republic of Congo. The world realized the harm of conflict diamonds during the extreme conflict in Sierra Leone in the late 1990s. In the 1990s, blood diamonds made about 4% of the international diamond market as reported by the World Diamond Council’s Website. Two memorable events to control the diamond market took place during the late 1990s.

Firstly Robert Fowler the Canadian Ambassador to Angola published a debatable report. This report listed all the countries involved with blood diamond trade. The report alarmed international organizations and made them aware of the illegal diamond trade that was going on. This response triggered the second memorable event. Kimberly Process Certification Scheme is a system which aims to regulate the diamond trade. This ensures the diamonds going through the process must be labeled as conflict free.

The source and ownership of the diamonds need to be validated.(Bieri, 45) Kimberly Process Certification Scheme is supported by the United Nations, governments and non- governmental organizations. This scheme aims to eliminate the trade of black