There have been a vast amount of issues that have tormented the citizens of Africa for years, such as disease, illegal trade, and hunger among the citizens of the continent. These individuals are often plagued with wars, violence, and separation from family members as a result of conflicts that have plagued Africa for hundreds of years. One issue that has longed plagued countries of Western Africa, such as Sierra Leone, the problem is illegal diamond trade. Illegal diamond trade has a long past, and it is well-known for being a primary cause in the suffering of African citizens. This problem has been addressed in the past, but there has been a very limited amount of success when it comes to stopping illegal diamond trade in West Africa. Illegal diamonds are often referred to as blood diamonds or conflict diamonds. These countries once profited of the diamond market Maconachie (2010) stated “despite extreme levels of poverty present-day Sierra Leone, particularly in the diamondiferous diamond regions themselves, there was, in fact a time when diamonds played an integral role in the country’s national development” (Maconachie p. 72). With the large amount of effort and money that has been invested in stopping illegal drug trade raises the question: Why have efforts been unsuccessful in the past when it involves ceasing illegal diamond trade in Africa? There must be continued efforts to stop illegal diamond trade through collaboration, persistence, and the ability to learn from past efforts.
There are many factors that contribute to the reason that blood diamonds are such an integral source of income for rebel groups. A primary cause of the continuation of illegal diamond trade is corrupt government officials. Another issue that has an impact on illegal diamond trade is the impact it has on the citizens. The problems that arise from illegal diamond trade can have a negative influence on the innocent citizens of the countries where the trading occurs. There are two primary groups that have taken control of the diamond mines in these regions. Although these groups have been weakened by attempts that have been made to stop illegal diamond trade, they are still operating and controlling diamond mines. Therefore, the rebel groups are being able to fund their war against the government by illegal diamond trade. If rebel groups are able to gain resources to fight the government through illegal diamond mining, then rebel groups are able to gain power and are a threat to government military in these countries. The citizens of these countries are losing their young boys to recruitment and kidnapping by these rebel groups. These children become brainwashed into committing criminal acts, such as murder, if ordered by a superior member of one of these rebel groups. Unfortunately, children being taken by rebel groups in these regions will continue as long as they are rebel groups; thus, as long as there is an outlet for rebel groups through diamonds, children will always be subjected to the harsh life of being a member of a rebel group.
There have been a great deal of measures taken by the United Nations, as well as other organizations, to stop conflict diamond trade in Africa. Individuals are offered diamonds that are accompanied with a certificate that ensures the diamond was mined legally. “The Kimberley Process Certificate Scheme (KPCS) is aimed at preventing conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate rough diamond market” according to (Alagia 2012 p. 2). Although it is reported in “Blood Diamond Expose” that “The truth is, many so-called ‘conflict free’ diamonds are not actually free from bloodshed and other serious injustices including child labor, worker exploitation, and sexual violence” (2012 p. 1). There have also been measures that have been taken to ensure that government officials and military have enough resources to fight the rebel groups. According to Haufler (2010) “The campaign against ‘blood diamonds,’ complete with vivid portrayals of the limbs of children cut off by rebels in Sierra Leone, effectively countered the soft-focus portrayals of a diamond ring as an object representing love and commitment” (Haufler 2010 p. 408). Although these efforts have been ongoing, there has been limited success in stopping the rebel groups from operating the blood diamond mines.
The effort to stop illegal diamond trade in Western African has not been as successful as some had hoped. There have been several assumptions about why the success rate for stopping illegal drug trade has been so low. It is known that once a diamond reaches a certain step in the diamond trade, it is almost difficult to determine the home of the diamond. According to Allen (2010) “Once a diamond has been polished it’s virtually impossible for a consumer to determine its country of origin” (Allen p. 2). Another reason that could contribute to the disappointing success of the efforts made to stop blood diamond trade is corrupt members of the government in the countries, and surrounding countries, where the rebel operated mines are located. Corrupt government officials have the power to enable rebel groups to transport their conflict diamonds across the border to surrounding countries, which are not countries known for having conflict diamond mines.
There have proposals on how to effectively address the illegal diamond trade problem in Africa, and some of these prospective proposals could be promising. These efforts will hopefully have a direct impact on the rebel groups that operate conflict diamond mines. There must also be an effort to stop allowing corrupt government officials to take office, which is a primary reason that rebel groups are able to smuggle diamonds to surrounding countries. However, Sharife (2010) stated “Arguably best thing about the much-lauded and oft applauded KP system created and backed by governments, and civil society organizations is that the KP’s very definition of blood diamonds, by default, excludes the world’s primary agents of ‘conflict’’: governments” (Sharife p. 1). The only way to ensure the safety of the innocent citizens of the African countries that are tormented with illegal diamond trade is to continue to collaborate to create new proposals and ideas to stop illegal blood diamond trade. Government officials are often subjected to questionable circumstances (Sharife p. 1) discussed studies that were done in countries impacted with illegal diamond trade “Both cases, saw violent exploitation of alluvial diamond fields, were identified as striving to undermine the governments of Angola and Sierra Leone through the control of key mines” (Sharife p. 1).
Although these future proposals are hopeful to stop illegal diamond trade, there are many strengths and weaknesses of each idea that must be taken into account. The goal of most individuals is to stop illegal diamond mining in African countries, but many of these ideas are flawed. In order to change the way conflict diamonds are illegally mined in Africa, it is vital to recognize the strengths of every proposal in order to achieve the best chances for success. If the diamond mines can be taken over by the government, then the diamonds can be mined and traded legally. However, a weakness to this plan was explained by Maconachie (2008) “despite the fan-fare accompanying overwhelming support for prescriptions of ‘good governance’ in the developing world, there has been comparatively little academic research transparency loot able economies” (Maconachie p. 71). This is direct evidence that weaknesses are present in proposals on controlling diamond trade. Another benefit would be the profit these countries would earn from diamond mining. The countries being impacted are poor, underdeveloped countries. By using diamond mining as a way to earn income, the countries would be able to develop and prosper.
The strides that have been taken to stop illegal diamond mining in Africa must be continued, and corrupt government officials must be held accountable for their actions. If the corruption can cease within the government of the countries that are impacted by illegal drug trade, then chances of rebel groups smuggling blood diamonds decrease. There will always be a demand for diamonds, which is why it is important to establish a system where individuals can purchase conflict-free diamonds. Most women dream of the perfect diamond engagement ring, but the majority of these women would not want a diamond if it came at the cost of innocent individuals lives. It is vital that the fight to stop the illegal sale of blood diamonds.
Works Cited
Alagia, Flavio. (28 March 2012). Blood Diamonds: A Never Solved African Drama, Retrieved from: http://esinearticles.com/?Blood-Diamonds:-A-Never-Solved-African-Drama&id=6958438
Allen, Michael. (19 June 2010). The ‘Blood Diamond’ Resurfaces, The Wall Street Journal.
Blood Diamond Expose, Brilliant Earth. Accessed 29/05/15 from: http://brillantearth.com/blood-diamond
Haufler, Virginia. (2010).The Kimberly Process certification Scheme: An Innovation in Global Governance and Conflict Prevention. Journal of Business Ethics. 89. 403-416.
Maconachie, Roy. (4 May 2008). Diamonds, governance and ‘local’ development in Post Conflict Sierra Leone: Lessons for artisanal and small-scale mining in sub-Saharan Africa. Resources Policy. 34. 71-79.
Sharife, L. (25 July 2011). Blood Diamond” Regulation System Broken, Al Jazeera. Accessed 29/05/14 from: http://www.alijazeera.com
