Blood/Conflict diamonds

Blood or conflict diamonds, are diamonds that come from a war conflict area, that are controlled by rebel groups, who use the sales of diamonds to fund their military actions. The Rebels use mostly children as slaves and prisoners to do the work of digging alluvial pits to find the diamonds. This is a big problem in central and west Africa, for instance Sierra Leone where the Rebel group Revolutionary United front (RUF) are very
powerful, they enslave thousands of men, women and children to work in their mines. Anyone who oopses their horrific methods and practices were brutally punished or killed. (Amputation is extremely common among men, women and children in sierra Leone when the RUF are seizing control of diamond mines to deter locals from supporting the government )

Certain things have been done to try and stop the selling of conflict diamonds. It is KPCS (Kimberley process certification scheme)that stepped in and organised a meeting of all the south African diamond producing countries in Kimberly in south Africa to plan a method where by the selling of conflict diamonds can be haltered, and buyers can be assured that they are not adding to the violence. The United National General Assemble adopted a resolution supporting the creation of an international certification scheme for rough diamonds. Any country that wants to join must ensure diamonds originating from their country must not aid rebel groups or any other group that wants to over throw a UN-recognised government, that every diamond must come with a kimberley Process certificate and no diamond can come from or be exported to a non member of that scheme.

That image is of country members of the Kimberley Process. The Image belongs to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley_Process.