According to the World Diamond Council, which promotes the commercial diamond trade, conflict or "blood" diamonds are unlawfully trafficked to fuel violence in war-torn countries, notably in central and western Africa.
Conflict diamonds are defined by the United Nations as "...diamonds originating from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognised governments, and used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of Security Council decisions."
They are usually in "rough" shape, which means they were taken lately but have not yet been trimmed.
At the height of Sierra Leone's civil war, conflict diamonds were believed to account for around 4% of the world's diamond production.
Who is the one who suffers?
Aside from the innocent people caught up in the wars that the trade causes, thousands of men, women, and children are used as slaves to mine diamonds in countries such as Sierra Leone. They are frequently compelled to adopt archaic, physically demanding methods such as digging through mud or gravel along river banks with their bare hands. Hand-held sieves are used to sort the gathered material.
What exactly is the Kimberley Process?
The Kimberley Process began in May 2000, when diamond-producing republics from Southern Africa convened in Kimberley, South Africa, to examine measures to eliminate the trade in conflict diamonds and ensure that diamond purchases did not support violence.
As a consequence, the United Nations, the European Union, the governments of 74 nations, the World Diamond Council (representing the industry), and a number of interest organisations, including Global Witness, reached an agreement.
They developed the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), under which members are expected to verify that all rough diamond exports are obtained via authorised mining and sales operations and are "conflict-free."
Each shipment includes a certificate that specifies where the diamonds originated from, how they were mined, where they were cut and polished, the parties involved, and their eventual destination. The premise is that Kimberley Process members cannot trade with non-members.
Is it functioning properly?
Because of a lack of political will among member nations, the Kimberley Process has yet to proven its ability to curb the trade, according to Amy Barry of Global Witness.
"Zimbabwe, for example, is a test case for the KP," she said CNN in 2010, stating that despite being a member of the Kimberley Process, Robert Mugabe's dictatorship has benefitted from the sale of blood diamonds.
She claims that military-controlled syndicates govern the vast Marange diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe, beating or killing miners who refuse to work for them or pay bribes. She went on to say that the military's severe aggression included the wholesale slaughter of hundreds of miners by helicopter gunships.
However, because only one or two member nations have the ability to reject any punitive action taken against abuses or infringements of the KP plan, no meaningful action against Zimbabwe has been taken. "This consensual decision-making prevents difficult judgments from being taken," Barry explained. "Some nations are prioritising economic and political objectives over safeguarding the scheme's core ideals."
Is "conflict trade" only for diamonds?
No. According to Global Witness, rebel fighters and army units have seized the trade in mineral ores needed in the construction of mobile phones and computers from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while subjecting the local people to killings, rape, extortion, and forced labour.
The "conflict minerals" are then laundered into the global supply chain through export companies before being processed into metals by huge multinational smelting businesses. According to Global Witness, the activities of some of the world's largest consumer brands are now being reviewed for evidence of links to this rogue trade.
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