blood diamonds
War-funded precious stones
Blood diamonds are diamonds mined in war zones and sold to finance armed conflict, particularly civil wars in Africa.
The term emerged in the 1990s when diamonds from Sierra Leone, Angola, and other conflict regions funded brutal insurgencies.
Also called conflict diamonds.
The label now extends to gems obtained through forced labor or human rights abuses: The jewelry industry developed certification to exclude blood diamonds from legitimate trade.
- conflict mineralsResources financing warfare
- Kimberley ProcessConflict diamond trade prevention
- Sierra LeoneWest African country, capital Freetown
- AngolaKwanza-using African state
- conflictsSerious disagreements or fights
warlords · human rights abuses · human cost · arms smuggling · gemstones · mining · child soldiers · ethical sourcing · De Beers · civil war · carbonado · war crimes · militias · Liberia · war chests · war · illegal trade · supply chain
- African mininggold mining, copper mining, De Beers, Anglo American, Kimberley
- black marketblack market, illegal trade, smugglers, contraband, traffickers
- contrabandheroin, cocaine, narcotics, illegal drugs, illicit drugs
- diamond miningmine, mines, kimberlite, open pit mine, open pit mines
- ethical shoppingfair trade coffee, ethical sourcing, sustainable sourcing, ethical shopping, buy local
- exploitationexploit, predatory, sex trafficking, take advantage, human trafficking
blood, diamond, bloods, bloody, bloodied, bloodying, bloodless, bloodline, bloodstream