Thursday, December 17, 2009

The Diamond Curse At War

The war in Sierra Leone (1991 - 2002) was an epidemic in West Africa that started from Angola since 1975 to the year 2002.

These wars finally came to closure as awareness was increased between the link of diamond transactions and arms purchased in fuelling the civil war that caused regional conflict and disintegrated the countries.

The gem that is used to jewel exclusively the royals and aristocrats, found it's way into America.
America holds 1/2 of the world market.
The advertisement of De Beers - A Diamond Is Forever - Has transformed the stone with human love, engagement and marriage.
De Beers used to monopolise a lion share of the diamond market.
The pricing was fixed by them and their hordes were only sold to interested parties 10 times per year.

In 1999, De Beers closed it's mines in Angola when disputes of diamonds for arms and pressures mounting  concerning the transactions of conflicted diamonds.


60% of the world's rough diamond comes from Africa.
Angola, one of the African countries, produced the best diamond in the world.

Sadly, the more diamond revenues means more war machines and arms exchange and added.
The transactions were supposed to be able to make the countries' infrastructures possible.
It has offshore oil too.
But the natural resources income were cursed.
More exploitations followed in the more than 2 decades Angola entangled in civil wars.

The 90s sanctions failed to see the more than 1,000,000 innocent civilians caught entangled in the crossfire. Diamond caused civilians many tragedies and many sufferings.
People being dragged from their houses, people being butchered, and made many Angolans walking the streets legless.

With the sole aim to forever stop the conflicted diamond trade, an international certification system was introduced in the year 2000.
United Nation, upon adopting the system, called upon all member countries to stop buying diamonds from specific conflicted zones.
With support from all UN members, Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was implemented.
Legitimate diamond trading had contributed to regional prosperity.
Developments mushroomed in the continent of Africa.

Angola's economy took off.
It's average income rose by more than 20% between 2003 to 2005.

2 comments:

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