What Are These African Conflict Diamonds?

I believe that people should not own Conflict Diamonds because of the unethical treatment that innocent villagers in Africa go through in order for these diamonds to be mined and smuggled into other countries.

Lets say your out with your fiancé and you're are looking at wedding bands, now would you be thinking how much is a diamond really worth? Is it worth the massacre of innocent villagers in Africa or is it worth seven thousand dollars? I know you're thinking what the massacre of innocent villagers have to do with diamonds. In some cases it has nothing to do with diamonds, but what I am going to talk about today; it has everything to do with it.

According to Martin Ayafor, Chairman of the Sierra Leone Panel of Experts, "Diamonds are forever" is what is often said. But lives are not. We must spare people the ordeal of war, mutilations and death for the sake of conflict diamonds."
Conflict diamonds are 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.
I believe that people should not buy or own Conflict Diamonds because of the unethical treatment that innocent villagers must go through in order for these diamonds to be mined and smuggled into other countries. Over the next few minutes I will inform you on what exactly conflict diamonds are; How the innocent villagers in Africa are treated; and how to tell the difference between a legitimate diamond and a conflict diamond.

First we are going to start of with, what exactly is a "Conflict Diamond"?
As I stated before, Conflict diamonds, also known as Blood Diamonds are 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.
This means that rebel forces in Africa raid villages and kill the women, the older men, and children and keep the stronger men and older boys to work in the mines and search for diamonds. Then the rebels take the diamonds that are found and sell them to buyers in exchange for guns and ammunition. (pause) This is happening today, in 2007, not the 1800's or the early 1900's. It is going on today in our world.

The main countries in Africa that you will find problems with conflict diamonds are Sierra Leone, Angola and Liberia.
According to the United Nations Department of Public Information, controls on conflict diamonds cut off sources of funding for rebels, help shorten wars and prevent their recurrence. Peace in diamond producing regions will bring about the potential for economic development and tax revenue for building infrastructure as legitimate mining ventures increase.
The problem with conflict diamonds is that they fund gun buying for the rebels.
This is a major problem for the government troops who are trying to stop the rebels from forcing villagers to search for diamonds is the guns and ammunition that the rebels acquire by selling the diamonds.

Now, we are going to talk about how the innocent villagers are treated.
Ok, so now imagine yourself as a villager and you have a family and everything seems to be normal. Then all of a sudden you hear gun shots and explosions coming from outside your hut. Then, a rebel with a ammunition wrapped around his chest and holding and automatic rifle burst into your hut. For you men, you would watch your wife get shot, your daughter get shot, and you and your son would be taken away.

You would be taken to a Mine to search for diamonds along with all of the other men that were capable of working. Your son on the other hand would be taken and made in to a boy soldier. He would be taught how to kill and then they would use him in their war against the government.

How would that make you feel? This is happening everyday. In 2007!! It still amazes me that people can still treat each other like animals over diamonds.
Last I am going to talk about how to tell the difference between a legitimate diamond and a conflict diamond.
The main way to tell the difference between a conflict diamond and legitimate diamond is to ask the seller for a certificate of origin. This provides a location to where the diamond was mined and when it was mined.

According to Carly Wickel, Canada has developed a process, the code of conduct, that is voluntary, so not all retailers participate. Those who do must provide consumers with: The diamond Identification Number, the retailer's name and address, an invoice number and the date of the invoice, the polished diamond description, and an explanation of the Code of Conduct.
There is no physical way to tell if a diamond is a conflict diamond thought. It all relies on the code of conduct or a certificate of origin.

In conclusion, conflict diamonds fuel the fire for rebel soldiers and give them the opportunity to fight back against the government troops, who are just trying to help restore the country.
"It has been said that war is the price of peace... Angola and Sierra Leone have already paid too much. Let them live a better life." This is a quote that Ambassador Juan Larrain, Chairman of the Monitoring Mechanism on sanctions against UNITA, said.

Remember this is not an issue that has been resolved, it is still happening today. The rebel soldiers in Africa are raiding villages, killing women and children, taking then men and boys and forcing them to do labor. The main way of telling the difference between a Conflict Diamond and a Legitimate Diamond is the certificate of origin.

So, when you go out with your fiancé and your looking for engagement rings, think about the suffering that innocent villagers have to go through in Africa. Ask yourself; is a diamond really worth another person's life?
Ask for a certificate of origin to make sure the diamond you are going to buy is not a conflict diamond. Don't fund these rebel soldiers, in there fight against the African government.

Bibliography

http://www.worldpress.org/Africa/2193.cfm

http://www.un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html

http://jewelry.about.com/cs/diamondmining/a/diamonds.htm

http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/diamond/

Päivi Lujala, Nils Petter Gleditsch, Elisabeth Gilmore. The Journal of Conflict Resolution. Beverly Hills: Aug 2005.Vol.49, Iss. 4; pg. 538, 25 pgs

Global governance and conflict diamonds: the Kimberley Process and the quest for clean gems. Grant, J. Andrew, Round Table; Jul2004, Vol. 375 Issue 1, p385-401, 17p

The Geopolitics of Conflict and Diamonds in Sierra Leone. Silberfein, Marilyn. Geopolitics; Winter2004, Vol. 9 Issue 1, p213-241, 29p