Global Development: Views from the Center

Diamond and conflicts have been bed fellows since the time when Africa was called 'the dark Continent'. Mineral rich areas such as Asante experienced greater colonial wars than any area in Africa. The current civil conflicts, insurgencies and uprisings are all related to 'land wealth'. Need the reason why the SPLA war lasted more than two decades, Why Sani Abacha hanged Saro Wiwa despite global outcry?, it all lies in what comes out from the soil. Conflicts in DR Congo, Angola [Unita], Sierra Leone[Sankor],Liberia[Taylor]have been sustained by diamonds.

The diamonds flood the international market with anannual income of US$ 23 millions and help finance the conflicts. Stopping Diamonds from these areas is a complex task and the international community needs to do more than the Kimberly process. Am glad that some of the warlords who benefited from this strategy like Sankor and Savimbi have faced justice. Taylor has been indicted for human rights abuses and arrested but the real bulls of the blood diamonds-the traders on the international market are free.

Indictments for war crimes like in Sierra Leone, DR Congo, Liberia should stretch to analysing the accounts of warlords, establishing the source of their finances, arms supplies and other logistics. This will help to find out the real blood diamond dealers who should also be indicted for promoting war crimes. Every trader who buys such blood diamonds is liable to promoting human rights abuses and this should be the first step. No one will be willing to buy diamonds from conflict areas since they carry a penalty. Sending experts to verify and monitor diamonds from Ghana for instance does not solve the problem. Do the experts know how much diamonds Ghana can produce annually internally? Do they have statistics for say five years upon which which they can leverage diamond flows, Can they detect variance in diamond composition to determine its source,Does diamond from conflict areas carry 'bullet holes' so that it can be easily identified and stopped from entering International markets.

Since Ghana is already identified as a source of blood diamonds, it is possible that the dealers will change course to another neighbouring country?. All these are very fundamental questions which have to be asked and answered. I think at the end, the solution will be more in the International sphere that just the neighbouring states since some international traders are already residents in neighbouring states just to deal in blood diamonds.
Paul Mayende,
Graduate Student,International Relations,
Kampala-Uganda.

After hearing about what goes on in africa for these precious stones it makes me ashamed to wear any diamond around my finger or necklace. i hope many people feel the same way i do and i will never purchase another diamond if i am not 100% positive that it is not conf;ict free it makes me ashamed that i had no idea about whats goin on until i see a movie typical American i guess.... But i will promise this i will noty purchase and blood diamonds.

How does one know that diamonds are conflict free? I was very disturbed after watching the movie Black Diamond and will always think of the movie everytime I see a diamond.