Sierra Leone

For thousands of years, diamonds have been an internationally recognized symbol of love, romance and marriage. However, a portion of the world's diamonds come from areas where war and blood shed are an every day occurrence. In some countries, rebel groups use the profits made from the sale of diamonds to buy weapons for their military operations. In this paper, I will introduce you to "conflict" or "blood" diamonds and the rebel groups that mine them. I will also look at the horrific infringements on basic human rights that these groups commit on a normal basis.

By definition, conflict diamonds are diamonds that originate from mines that are under the control of rebel groups who are fighting against their country's government. Sierra Leone, a small country on the west coast of Africa, has for the last ten years been under the terror of an ever present civil war. This war is being fought between a rebel group known as the Revolutionary United Front and Sierra Leone's present government. The RUF took control of some of Sierra Leones richest diamond mines in the mid nineties. They now use the profits they make from these diamonds to buy weapons for their army, made up mostly of young boys forced to conscript. (United Nati

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With all this new international pressure on the diamond industry to clean up their act, DeBeers has been working with organizations such as Amnesty International to try and develop a way of certifying every diamond that enters the international market. (National Geographic) In November of 1999, the group Global Witness launched a campaign entitled Fatal Transactions, designed to alert people of the violent repercussions the diamond industry can cause.

I believe that government agencies, jewellery store owners, diamond manufacturers and international leaders should work together to place a boycott on diamonds that originate from areas of conflict. In July of 1999, after nearly a decade of war, the Lome peace agreement was signed following long negotiations between the government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front. A New York Post article in December of 1999 warned people of conflict diamonds, saying, "That dazzling diamond necklace you buy for that special someone at a swank Fifth Avenue may be funding the activities of a cannibalistic gang in Sierra Leone. If rebel groups such as the RUF are stripped