Conflict Diamonds and the Kimberley Process

How diamonds funded civil wars in Sierra Leone, Angola and elsewhere, how the 2003 Kimberley Process certification scheme tries to stop "blood diamonds", and its limitations.

In the 1990s, rebels in Sierra Leone, Angola and Liberia used diamonds to fund wars.

Blood diamonds

Rebels seized mines and sold diamonds to buy weapons.
Wars caused huge loss of life.

The Kimberley Process

Launched in 2003, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme requires rough diamonds to be traded with certificates showing they’re conflict-free.
Governments, industry and civil society take part; India is a member and chaired it in 2019.

Limitations

Only covers diamonds funding rebels, not government abuses.
Smuggling and false certificates.
Some NGOs, like Global Witness, left in 2011, criticising its weaknesses.

Traceability

New technologies like blockchain tracking aim to trace diamonds from mine to market.

Economic lesson

Valuable, easily transported resources can finance conflict, requiring international certification.

The certificate

A shipment of rough diamonds arriving in Mumbai must carry a Kimberley Process certificate from the exporting country.

Thinking the Kimberley Process solved all ethical problems

It has important limitations.

Key takeaways

Diamonds funded wars in Sierra Leone and Angola.
The Kimberley Process began in 2003.
It certifies rough diamonds as conflict-free.
Critics say it has major limitations.