Blood Diamonds?

Question

With blood diamonds, africans were getting abused from them why? Did they have to hold on to them or mine them?

Answer 1

Here is the wikipedia reference:

n relation to diamond trading, blood diamond (also called a converted diamond, conflict diamond, hot diamond or a war diamond) refers to a diamond mined in a war zone and sold, usually clandestinely, in order to finance an insurgency, invading army's war efforts, or supporting a warlord's activity, especially in Africa.

n July 1999, following over eight years of civil conflict, negotiations between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front led to the signing of the Lome Peace Agreement under which the parties agreed to the cessation of hostilities, disarmament of all combatants and the formation of a government of national unity. The United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) helped facilitate the negotiations. In resolution 1270 of October 22, 1999, the Security Council established the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) to help create the conditions in which the parties could implement the Agreement. Subsequently, the number of personnel were increased and tasks to be carried out by UNAMSIL adjusted by the Council in resolutions 1289 of February 8, 2000 and 1299 of May 19, 2000, making UNAMSIL the second largest peacekeeping force currently deployed by the United Nations (the largest such contingent is in the Congo) following international concern at the role played by the illegal diamond trade in fueling conflict in Sierra Leone, the Security Council adopted resolution 1306 on July 5, 2000 imposing a ban on the direct or indirect import of rough diamonds from Sierra Leone not controlled by the Government of Sierra Leone through a Certificate of Origin regime. An arms embargo and selective travel ban on non-governmental forces were already in effect under resolution 1171 of June 5, 1998.

On July 31, 2000 and August 1, 2000, Ambassador Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, Chairman of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1132 (1997) concerning Sierra Leone, presided over the first ever exploratory public hearing by the Security Council in New York. The hearing was attended by representatives of interested Member States, regional organizations, non-governmental organizations, the diamond industry and other relevant experts. The hearing exposed the link between the trade in illegal Sierra Leone diamonds and trade in arms and related material. The ways and means for developing a sustainable and well-regulated diamond industry in Sierra Leone were also discussed.

As called for by resolution 1306 of July 5, 2000, the Secretary-General, on August 2, 2000, established a Panel of Experts, to collect information on possible violations of the arms embargo and the link between trade in diamonds and trade in arms and related material, consider the adequacy of air traffic control systems in the West African region for the purpose of detecting flights suspected of contravening the arms embargo, and report to the Council with observations and recommendations on ways of strengthening the arms and diamonds embargoes no later than October 3, 2000. The Chairman of the Panel was Martin Chungong Ayafor (Cameroon). The other members were Atabou Bodian (Senegal), Johan Peleman (Belgium), Harjit Singh Sandhu (India) and Ian Smillie (Canada). The Panel submitted its report to the Security Council on December 19, 2000 (S/2000/1195). On January 25, 2001 the Security Council, at its 4264th meeting, considered the report of the panel of experts. There has been 79,043 deaths to this day February 13 2008 11:02 A.M.

Diamond revenues in Sierra Leone have increased more than tenfold since the end of the conflict, from $10 million in 2000 to about $130 million in 2004, although according to the UNAMSIL surveys of mining sites, "more than 50 percent of diamond mining still remains unlicensed and reportedly considerable illegal smuggling of diamonds continues" (Bell 2005).

Around the time of the 1998 United States embassy bombings, al-Qaeda allegedly bought gems from Sierra Leone as some of its other financial assets were frozen.

In 1998, the United Nations (UN) placed Angola under sanctions forbidding countries from buying diamonds from them.[2] This was the first resolution of the UN which specifically mentioned diamonds in the context of funding the war. Reports estimated that as much as 20% of total production in the 1990s were being sold for illegal purposes, and 15% were specifically conflict in nature.[3] By 1999, the illegal diamond trade was estimated by the World Diamond Council to have been reduced to 3.06% of the world's diamond production.[4][5] The World Diamond Council reported that by 2004 this percentage had fallen to approximately 1%.[5][3]

Angola, formerly a colony of Portugal, gained independence on November 11, 1975. Although independent, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (PMLA), the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (NUTIA), and the National Liberation Front of Angola (NLFA) fought in civil war from 1975 to 2002. NUTIA sold diamonds abroad in violation of the Bicesse Accords of 1994 to finance its war with the government.[6] The UN recognized the role that diamonds played in funding the NUTIA rebels, and in 1998 banned countries from buying diamonds from Angola.

he diamond market is dominated by De Beers companies which were formed in South Africa by originally British owners. De Beers owns many diamond mines in Africa. The various companies within the De Beers “family of companies” are responsible for around 40% of world diamond production by value.[24] Besides this, 'Debswana (Debswana Diamond Company Ltd)' which is a fifty-fifty (originally it was only 15% for government of Botswana which was changed later) partnership between De Beers and the government of Botswana is the world's leading producer of diamonds by value. There are other diamond mines owned by small companies in Botswana but they have less control on the market.

According to critics of this monopoly[attribution needed], the blood diamond story is a war for control of the diamond mines. First, as rebels or armies of African origin (and one time the government of Botswana) try to control diamond mines in a way unacceptable to monopolists in the market, the diamonds out of the control of these monopolist companies are termed blood diamonds.

Second, critics[attribution needed] think that more weapons are purchased by selling oil than by selling diamonds. Other substances are sometimes sold the same way as conflict diamonds, such as cassiterite, coltan and gold.

Third, some critics believe that, far from attempting to curtail the purchase of weapons using diamond profits or improving diamond-miners' working conditions, the Clean Diamond Trade Act and the Kimberley Process are simply tools for maintaining a monopoly on the world's diamond supply. The position taken is that instruments do nothing to protect the diamond-mine workers of South Africa from dangerous working conditions outlawed elsewhere. The book referenced provides powerful evidence that De Beers' mines are often filled with a deadly dust that cuts and scars the lungs of its mineworkers, which could easily be removed if De Beers employed normal dust-suppression methods. (De Beers currently holds a legal exemption in South Africa from the mandatory dust suppression method of spraying water when drilling, on the grounds that the dust in its mines is uniquely harmless.

(Personally, I think blood diamonds are wrong).