What are the conflict diamonds used for?

What are the conflict diamonds used for?

blood diamond, also called conflict diamond, as defined by the United Nations (UN), any diamond that is mined in areas controlled by forces opposed to the legitimate, internationally recognized government of a country and that is sold to fund military action against that government.

What did the rebel groups use diamonds to buy?

Conflict diamonds fuel civil wars One of the main problems presented by conflict diamonds has been the use of conflict diamonds by rebel forces to purchase arms and facilitate other illegal activities. These forces will often smuggle their diamonds through and trade their diamonds in neighboring countries.

What role did blood diamonds play in the war?

Blood diamonds became the fuel that fed the civil war fires. Blood diamonds are any diamonds that have been mined in a zone of conflict and sold for profit to finance war efforts. Alluvial diamonds are easily found within riverbeds and along river banks and can be obtained with simple tools.

How does diamond trade lead to war?

Diamonds intensify civil wars by financing militaries and rebel militias. diamond wealth. Rival groups also fight with each other to control diamond-rich territory. The tragic result is bloodshed, loss of life, and shocking human rights abuses – from rape to the use of child soldiers.

Is Blood Diamond Real?

Blood diamonds (also called conflict diamonds, brown diamonds, hot diamonds, or red diamonds) are diamonds mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, an invading army’s war efforts, or a warlord’s activity.

Does Blood Diamond still happen?

It shows that the production of conflict diamonds still exists in Sierra Leone. According to the 2005 Country Reports on Human Right Practices of Africa from the United States, serious human rights issues still exist in Sierra Leone, even though the 11-year civil conflict had officially ended by 2002.

Are there still conflict diamonds?

In 2006, Leonardo DiCaprio made the term “Blood Diamonds” a household phrase. A lot has been done to address the issue of blood diamonds and conflict diamonds since then, but unfortunately, we still have a ways to go. The diamond trade is an 81 billion dollars industry with 65% of mined diamonds coming from Africa.

How did the rebels get blood diamonds in the Congo?

One miner can extract multiple karats of diamonds on a daily basis in this manner. The RUF rebels took advantage of the easily accessible alluvial diamonds and the lack of government regulations surrounding the industry. This combination allowed members of RUF to sell blood diamonds to obtain weapons.

What are conflict diamonds and where do they come from?

The flow of Conflict Diamonds has originated mainly from Sierra Leone, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Ivory Coast. The United Nations and other groups are working to block the entry of conflict diamonds into the worldwide diamond trade.

What was the Blood Diamond War in Sierra Leone?

Blood Diamonds. Sierra Leone’s war over conflict diamonds began in March 1991 when “a few hundred men crossed over the Liberian border and attacked towns in eastern and southern Sierra Leone.” Early in 1992, the Revolutionary United Front (R.U.F.), a ruthless rebel group seized Kono, the diamond mining capital of Sierra Leone.

Why did the RUF take diamonds from Sierra Leone?

Civilians living in diamond mining zones were forcibly removed from their homes so that the RUF could maintain control over the mines. Many of the blood diamonds from Sierra Leone were traded to the Liberian president, Charles G. Taylor, in exchange for weapons and military training from the AFRC.