Jewellers and wholesalers may unwittingly purchase diamonds that passed through illicit channels, as traffickers hide the diamonds' origins.
"Blood diamonds"—or —are rough diamonds mined in war zones and sold to finance insurgencies, terrorism, or illegal armed groups fighting against legitimate governments. Despite the implementation of the Kimberley Process (KP) in 2003, which aimed to curb their trade, blood diamonds still find their way into the legitimate market. who buys blood diamonds
Those who buy or profit from blood diamonds include middlemen, criminal syndicates, and, often unknowingly, international retailers and consumers. 1. Illicit Traders and Smugglers Those who buy or profit from blood diamonds
Rebel factions in countries like Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Central African Republic (CAR) directly seize diamond mines and sell the stones to arms traffickers to fund military campaigns. In the 1990s, blood diamonds constituted up to
In the 1990s, blood diamonds constituted up to 15% of the global trade, generating huge profits from consumer sales. 3. Companies and State-Linked Entities
Because blood diamonds can be mixed with legitimate stocks and subsequently cut and polished, they become virtually identical to non-conflict diamonds, making them difficult to detect once they reach consumers.
In modern cases, blood diamonds are not always linked to non-state rebels; sometimes, they are linked to state-sanctioned abuses or forced labor.
