What are Conflict Diamonds and the Kimberley Process?
Conflict diamonds, sometimes called blood diamonds, are diamonds that are sold to fund the unlawful and illegal wars of rebel groups seeking to overthrow internationally recognized governments. Countries that have been most affected by conflict diamonds are Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo — all places where citizens have been impacted by groups in control of the local diamond trade. Conflict diamonds attracted international attention due to the conflict in Sierra Leone throughout the 1990’s. In 2000, South African countries with a legitimate diamond trade began a campaign to track the origins of all rough diamonds, attempting to put a stop to blood diamond sales from known conflict areas. As a result, the Kimberley Process was developed in Kimberley, South Africa in 2000, and US Congress adopted the Clean Diamond Trade Act in 2003 which authorized US compliance with the international Kimberley Certification Process. The goals of the Kimberley Process
