Blood Diamond
Blood diamonds are also known as conflict diamonds or war diamonds and are stones which are mined in a war zone and sold illegally to finance an invading army’s war efforts. Non-government sources strongly allege that money from blood diamonds was used to finance the September 11 th attacks on New York City.
Understandably the United Nations has renounced illicit diamond smuggling especially since it is known to have fuelled the tragic conflicts in Angola and Sierra Leone. Action has been taken by the Security Council and under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter targeted sanctions have been applied against UNITA in Angola and the Sierra Leone rebels, including a ban on their main source of funding. Diamond sanctions have also been applied against Liberia but are not yet in effect. In 2002 the UN approved the Kimberley Process, which is a system involving certification aimed at preventing illicit diamonds from entering the market.
The political significance will be further illustrated with the release of “Blood Diamonds” which is a multi-million dollar film focusing strongly on this subject. It takes place during a bloody civil war in Sierra Leone in 1999 and stars Leonardo di Caprio, Danny Glover and Jennifer Connelly. It is the story of two men from very opposite backgrounds who decide to work together to find a rare diamond that can change their lives. It is being filmed in South Africa and due for release at the end of the year.
The media and entertainment industry are determined to draw attention to the whole serious and sorry issue of blood diamonds with famous rapper Kanye West touching on the issue in a song entitled “Diamonds from Sierra Leone”. Also two other rappers called Lupe Fiasco and Talib Kweli have released songs called “Conflict Diamonds” and “Going Hard” respectively. There is also a computer and video game called “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” which was released in 2004 and which states very clearly that ammunition can be purchased with blood diamonds.
