{ "id": "ep7ceqn2wg", "slug": "blood-diamond-ep7ceqn2wg", "title": "Blood diamond", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society" }, { "id": "society.conflict", "label": "Conflict and security", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.conflict" }, { "id": "society.conflict.general", "label": "Conflict and security concepts", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.conflict.general" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.afr.t1946.society.conflict", "label": "Sub-Saharan Africa · 1946 to 2000: Conflict and security", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr.t1946.society.conflict", "path": [ { "id": "geo.afr", "label": "Sub-Saharan Africa", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr" }, { "id": "geo.afr.t1946", "label": "Sub-Saharan Africa · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.afr.t1946.society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr.t1946.society" }, { "id": "geo.afr.t1946.society.conflict", "label": "Conflict and security", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr.t1946.society.conflict" } ] }, { "id": "geo.afr.t2001.society.conflict", "label": "Sub-Saharan Africa · 2001 to 2020: Conflict and security", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr.t2001.society.conflict", "path": [ { "id": "geo.afr", "label": "Sub-Saharan Africa", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr" }, { "id": "geo.afr.t2001", "label": "Sub-Saharan Africa · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.afr.t2001.society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr.t2001.society" }, { "id": "geo.afr.t2001.society.conflict", "label": "Conflict and security", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr.t2001.society.conflict" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Blood diamond (conflict diamond, war diamond): a rough diamond sold by rebel movements or their allies to finance wars against legitimate governments, notably in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Liberia; now under 0.1% of production per the Kimberley Process.", "snippet": "Blood diamond (conflict diamond, war diamond): a rough diamond sold by rebel movements or their allies to finance wars against legitimate governments, notably in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Liberia; now under 0.1% of production per the Kimberley Process.", "node": "society.conflict.general", "markdown": "# Blood diamond\n\nA blood diamond, also called a conflict diamond or war diamond, is a rough diamond used by rebel movements or their allies to finance armed conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments, as described in [United Nations Security Council](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-nations-security-council) resolutions and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 55/56.[1](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/faq) • [2](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/about/what-is-kp) The term became prominent in the late 1990s, when diamond sales financed civil wars in Angola and [Sierra Leone](https://www.edgepedia.org/sierra-leone), and it prompted the [Kimberley Process Certification Scheme](https://www.edgepedia.org/kimberley-process-certification-scheme), the international system that now regulates the rough diamond trade.[2](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/about/what-is-kp) • [3](https://assemblyforpeace.unu.edu/cases/kimberley-process/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Definition | Rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments, per the KP Core Document and UN resolutions[1](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/faq) |\n| Current scale | Conflict diamonds account for less than 0.1% of world diamond production, by Kimberley Process and United Nations estimates[1](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/faq) |\n| Origin of the response | Southern African diamond-producing states met in Kimberley, South Africa, in May 2000 to design a framework against conflict diamonds[2](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/about/what-is-kp) |\n| Certification scheme | The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was signed by 37 participants in Interlaken, Switzerland, in November 2002 and came into force in 2003[2](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/about/what-is-kp) |\n| Membership | 60 participants representing 86 countries, with the European Union counting as a single participant[1](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/faq) |\n| Key conflicts | Civil wars in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, where armed groups used diamonds to fund fighting[4](https://apnews.com/article/932166c2fe08733d16b0f76aaf039bf5) |\n| Main criticism | The definition covers only rebel movements, excluding state-sanctioned violence, child labor, worker exploitation, and environmental degradation[5](https://time.com/4013120/blood-diamonds-graphic/) |\n\n## Origins in African civil wars\n\nThe blood diamond problem emerged from a broader pattern in which natural resource exploitation fueled prolonged and transnational violence across West and [Central Africa](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-africa). In Angola, rebel leader Jonas Savimbi of UNITA (the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) rejected the 1992 elections that foreign observers judged free and fair and resumed his war by seizing control of the Cuango River Valley, the country's richest diamond territory, building a large war chest from the trade.[3](https://assemblyforpeace.unu.edu/cases/kimberley-process/) • [6](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-106hhrg68040/pdf/CHRG-106hhrg68040.pdf)\n\nIn Sierra Leone, the [Revolutionary United Front](https://www.edgepedia.org/revolutionary-united-front) (RUF) under Foday Sankoh pursued the complete control and occupation of the country's diamond fields, using amputation, rape, arson, killings, and other terrorist acts as means to that end.[7](https://press.un.org/en/2000/20000705.sc6886.doc.html) The civil war, which ran from 1991 to 2002, took some 50,000 lives, and the precious stones paid for the rebels' weapons.[8](https://qa.time.com/5368633/sierra-leone-peace-diamond/)\n\n**United Nations sanctions.** The Security Council responded with targeted trade measures: it banned the import of diamonds from UNITA-controlled areas of Angola in June 1998 through [Resolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/resolution) 1173, and in July 2000 it restricted diamond exports from Sierra Leone unless certified by the government through Resolution 1306.[3](https://assemblyforpeace.unu.edu/cases/kimberley-process/) The Sierra Leone sanctions were allowed to expire in 2003 after the civil war ended in 2002 and the government took full part in the Kimberley Process.[9](https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/update-report/lookup_c_glkwlemtisg_b_2822787.php)\n\n## The Kimberley Process\n\nThe Kimberley Process (KP) is an international initiative and intergovernmental forum to exclude conflict diamonds from the legitimate trade. It began when Southern African diamond-producing states met in Kimberley, South Africa, in May 2000, and the item was included in the agenda of the 55th session of the UN General Assembly.[2](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/about/what-is-kp) After two years of negotiations, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was signed by 37 participants in [Interlaken](https://www.edgepedia.org/interlaken), Switzerland, in November 2002 and came into force in 2003.[2](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/about/what-is-kp)\n\nThe scheme is enforced individually by participants through their national legislation; the KP has no permanent offices or permanent staff and is not, strictly speaking, an international organization or a legally binding international agreement.[1](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/faq) Its core requirements are that participant countries enforce stringent legal and regulatory standards controlling rough diamond imports and exports, exchange accurate statistical data, trade only with other certified participants, and ensure that every rough diamond export is inspected and accompanied by a valid KP certificate.[2](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/about/what-is-kp) Participants may not trade with non-participants, and the Plenary may suspend a seriously non-compliant participant's imports and exports; historic suspensions include the Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe's Marange area, and the [Central African Republic](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-african-republic), while Brazil and Venezuela voluntarily suspended their own exports at times.[2](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/about/what-is-kp)\n\nThe KP has a tripartite structure bringing together governments, the diamond industry through the World Diamond Council, and civil society groups, which monitor the scheme's effectiveness and provide technical and administrative expertise.[1](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/faq) NGOs such as Global Witness, which first exposed the blood diamond problem in 1998, and Partnership Africa Canada played an unusual role in helping write the scheme's technical document and negotiating its terms.[10](https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/conflict-diamonds/the-kimberley-process/) • [11](https://media.amnesty.org.uk/documents/blood_diamond.pdf)\n\n**Industry warranties.** A separate industry 'System of Warranties', endorsed by all KP participants, requires buyers and sellers of both rough and polished diamonds to state on all invoices that the diamonds \"have been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in compliance with United Nations resolutions\" and that the seller guarantees they are conflict free.[1](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/faq)\n\n## Effectiveness and criticism\n\nBy KP and UN estimates, conflict diamonds now account for less than 0.1% of world diamond production.[1](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/faq) In countries that previously experienced diamond-funded conflicts, including Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia, the [Democratic Republic of the Congo](https://www.edgepedia.org/democratic-republic-of-the-congo), and Côte d'Ivoire, much greater stability has been achieved. Since hostilities in Sierra Leone ended in 2002, the country's official diamond exports have grown roughly a hundred times larger, to the benefit of the roughly 10% of its people who depend on the diamond trade for their livelihood.[1](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/faq)\n\nThe scheme's critics focus on its scope and enforcement. [Human Rights Watch](https://www.edgepedia.org/human-rights-watch), whose researchers document business and human rights abuses, has stated that the KP's long-term credibility has been undermined by a narrow focus on anti-government rebel groups and its unwillingness to incorporate human rights protections, and that because decisions are made by consensus rather than voting, it is difficult for well-meaning countries to act against a member that violates the rules if even one other member blocks action.[12](https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/06/06/human-rights-watch-statement-kimberley-process) The KP's narrow definition of \"conflict diamond\" does not include environmental degradation, child labor, worker exploitation, or state-sanctioned violence, which allows unethically sourced gems to reach consumers.[5](https://time.com/4013120/blood-diamonds-graphic/) [Amnesty International](https://www.edgepedia.org/amnesty-international) has urged diamond companies to stop using the Kimberley Process to claim their diamonds are free from human rights abuses and conflict.[13](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/11/time-for-diamond-companies-to-stop-hiding-behind-kimberley-process-2/)\n\n**The Russia dispute.** The definition's limits became acute after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At the November 2023 plenary, Ukraine, backed by the United States, Britain, and other countries, asked that an investigation be made into whether the diamonds Russia produces are helping pay for its war, a proposal that Russia and several allied states firmly rejected; the plenary ended without a consensus communique for the first time ever.[4](https://apnews.com/article/932166c2fe08733d16b0f76aaf039bf5) The United Kingdom and Canada have pressed to broaden the definition to cover state actors using diamond revenues to fund conflicts, while a 2024 UN General Assembly resolution adopted by consensus by all 193 member nations reaffirmed support for the Kimberley Process.[4](https://apnews.com/article/932166c2fe08733d16b0f76aaf039bf5) • [14](https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2025/12/statement-following-the-22nd-kimberley-process-plenary-on-conflict-diamonds.html)\n\n## Cultural impact and consumer choices\n\nThe Sierra Leone trade inspired the 2006 film *Blood Diamond*, starring [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://www.edgepedia.org/leonardo-dicaprio), which linked engagement rings with their human cost for a generation of consumers.[8](https://qa.time.com/5368633/sierra-leone-peace-diamond/)\n\nFor consumers, the KP does not certify individual jewellers; a reputable business should be able to explain how its jewelry avoids conflict diamonds and whether its suppliers participate in the System of Warranties.[1](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/faq) Conflict diamond expert Ian Smillie, author of *Blood on the Stone: Greed, Corruption and War in the Global Diamond Trade*, advises consumers to ask questions when shopping and to resist the easy answer.[15](https://time.com/4013735/how-to-buy-an-ethical-diamond/) The market itself has shifted: lab-grown diamonds, marketed as cheaper and conflict-free alternatives, rose from 1% of global sales in 2015 to nearly 20%, though their environmental claims also face scrutiny because production remains energy-intensive.[16](https://apnews.com/article/3f2f2e50d21d1a84f0ce86fa0b78d1fe)\n\n## References\n\n1. [FAQ, Kimberley Process](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/faq)\n2. [What Is The Kimberley Process?, Kimberley Process](https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/about/what-is-kp)\n3. [Kimberley Process (2000–present), Assembly for Peace, United Nations University](https://assemblyforpeace.unu.edu/cases/kimberley-process/)\n4. [Russia and West join forces to tackle trade in 'blood diamonds' despite feud over Moscow's diamonds, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/932166c2fe08733d16b0f76aaf039bf5)\n5. [This Graphic Shows How Blood Diamonds Arrive in the U.S., TIME](https://time.com/4013120/blood-diamonds-graphic/)\n6. [Congressional hearing on conflict diamonds, govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-106hhrg68040/pdf/CHRG-106hhrg68040.pdf)\n7. [Security Council decides to impose prohibition on imports of rough diamonds from Sierra Leone, UN Press](https://press.un.org/en/2000/20000705.sc6886.doc.html)\n8. [The Teenage Miner, the Village and the 709-Carat Diamond That Changed Everything, TIME](https://qa.time.com/5368633/sierra-leone-peace-diamond/)\n9. [Update Report No. 2: Natural Resources and Conflict, Security Council Report](https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/update-report/lookup_c_glkwlemtisg_b_2822787.php)\n10. [The Kimberley Process, Global Witness](https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/conflict-diamonds/the-kimberley-process/)\n11. [Blood diamond NGO report, Amnesty International UK](https://media.amnesty.org.uk/documents/blood_diamond.pdf)\n12. [Human Rights Watch Statement on the Kimberley Process](https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/06/06/human-rights-watch-statement-kimberley-process)\n13. [Time for diamond companies to stop hiding behind Kimberley Process, Amnesty International](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/11/time-for-diamond-companies-to-stop-hiding-behind-kimberley-process-2/)\n14. [Statement following the 22nd Kimberley Process Plenary on conflict diamonds, Global Affairs Canada](https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2025/12/statement-following-the-22nd-kimberley-process-plenary-on-conflict-diamonds.html)\n15. [How to Buy an Ethical Diamond, TIME](https://time.com/4013735/how-to-buy-an-ethical-diamond/)\n16. [This African nation built its development on diamonds. Now it's crashing down, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/3f2f2e50d21d1a84f0ce86fa0b78d1fe)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Conflict and security › Conflict and security concepts*\n\n*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/blood-diamond-ep7ceqn2wg", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/blood-diamond-ep7ceqn2wg.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Blood diamond\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/blood-diamond-ep7ceqn2wg. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Blood diamond](https://www.edgepedia.org/blood-diamond-ep7ceqn2wg)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/blood-diamond-ep7ceqn2wg](https://www.edgepedia.org/blood-diamond-ep7ceqn2wg). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Blood diamond\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/blood-diamond-ep7ceqn2wg. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Blood diamond: a rough diamond sold by rebel movements or their allies to finance wars against legitimate governments, notably in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Liberia; now under 0.1% of production per the Kimberley Process." }