“Blood Diamonds”
Special Political and Decolonization Background Guide

For more than a decade, civil wars have ravaged numerous African countries.  Because the economies and governments of such war-torn nations are almost nonexistent, rebel groups have taken advantage of the abundant diamond fields across the continent, especially those of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Angola.  The United Nations, individual governments, and various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have tried everything from international peacekeeping troops to economic sanctions, but the situation remains dire.  The diamonds extracted from these nations have garnered the title of “blood diamonds,” “conflict diamonds,” or “dirty diamonds” due to the outrageous amount of human suffering that lies behind their mining and exportation. The UN defines “conflict diamonds” as “diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council.” 

The UN General Assembly (GA) has “recognized that conflict diamonds are a crucial factor in prolonging brutal wars in parts of Africa, and underscored that legitimate diamonds contribute to prosperity and development elsewhere on the continent,” and because these stones serve as a main source of income for rebel groups, it has enacted various sanctions and embargoes in hopes of eliminating the dirty diamond trade.  Diamond merchants, however, often ignore restrictions or are unaware of their wares’ origins. 

In Sierra Leone, a brutal group called the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has essentially controlled the nation since 1991.  Recent UN efforts, such as free elections in 2002, have alleviated the turmoil somewhat, but reconstruction is far from complete.  More than 2 million Sierra Leonean people have found themselves homeless due to the RUF’s fighting, and many have also suffered directly at the hands of RUF soldiers.  The RUF has abducted, gang-raped, and impressed into its forces children as young as six, and adults fare little better.  The RUF continues its illegal diamond trade and by doing so, perpetuates the human rights violations its soldiers have become so skilled in committing.  About two-thirds of Sierra Leone’s current workforce is dedicated to agriculture, yet the country’s main source of income is still diamonds, though plans to reopen semiprecious stone mines are underway.  As the CIA World Factbook clarifies, “the fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and to supplement government revenues.”  

Liberia’s similar problems seemed to be over in 1997, with the holding of free elections.  The new president, Charles Taylor, quickly progressed to the status of dictator.  Though Taylor has few political rivals, rebel groups across the country have violently protested his reign, throwing the country back into its previous state of civil war. The Liberian government has also support Sierra Leone’s RUF via trading in blood diamonds, and Liberia also exports dirty gems of its own.  Sanctions against Liberian diamonds exist but have not yet taken effect, though the UN enacted arms and travel embargoes against the country in 2001.  The CIA Factbook further notes “A regional peace initiative commenced in the spring of 2003 but was disrupted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) indictment of President Taylor on war crimes charges.”  Additionally, the continued turmoil forced several businesses to pull out of the country’s capital, Monrovia, which did little to help the economic situation that resulted from both the continued conflicts and Taylor’s regime.  Though rich in many natural resources other than diamonds, Liberia is in no state to revive successfully its rubber and timber trades. 

The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), like the RUF, has wreaked havoc on its country for more than a decade.  In 1994, a treaty with the legitimate Angolan government briefly quelled UNITA activity, but fighting resumed in 1998, and UNITA, funded by the diamond trade, has refused to compromise with the UN since then.  The country, like Liberia, has plenty of other underused natural resources, and it remains in a seemingly perpetual state of civil war. 

Solutions to this African mess are complex.  Countries surrounding those discussed have plenty of their own problems, and several have also been aiding diamond-trading rebels in their exploits.  Past UN efforts have helped somewhat, but peacekeeping troops can do little if those in power refuse to cooperate.  Additionally, civilian governments set up by the international community have proven either ineffective or have simply been overthrown.  The diamond industry must also be further deterred from buying African diamonds, perhaps in favor of gems from the Arctic or other sources.  Standardization of diamond exportation is also necessary; an international initiative approved unanimously by the UN called the Kimberley Process outlines steps to ensure that only legally mined diamonds from conflict regions land on the market.  Identifying failures in past legislation is essential, as is a dedicated effort to implementing any new resolutions this body passes. 

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