CONFLICT DIAMONDS or BLOOD DIAMONDS:
Sierra Leone - Small producer. 350,000 carats of high quality. United Front has been fighting for control of mine for 10 years. Whoever owns the mine, owns the country.
Angola - Civil War has existed since independence from Portugal in 1975. Legitimate dealers do not purchase diamonds here. Diamond profits support rebel fighting.
Democratic Republic of Congo - Formerly known as Zaire. Torn with civil war since 1994. Diamonds are not bought by legitimate dealers. Diamonds are sold or exchanged for arms.
The Meaning of "CONFLICT" or "BLOOD" 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, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council.
Rough diamond caches have often been used by rebel forces to finance arms purchases and other illegal activities. Neighboring and other countries can be used as trading and transit grounds for illicit diamonds. Once diamonds are brought to market, their origin is difficult to trace and once polished, they can no longer be identified. 4 % of total world percent are conflict or blood diamonds and there is NO WAY to guarantee it is not conflict unless there is a "Certificate of Origin".