The Issue of Blood Diamonds

Abraham Thomas Mr. Butler & Ms. Flath 4A English I, 4B World Geography 6 February 2013 The Issue of Blood Diamonds What is the cause of major rebellions, riots, and coups in Africa? The blood diamond trade is one of the strongest illegal trades in Africa, which has been fueling conflict for approximately three decades. The primary purpose of blood diamond trading contributes to funding armed conflicts for guerrilla and militant forces. The diamonds are illegally mined in a conflict zone, which is then used by guerrilla forces to fight and rebel against government forces, the effect of which can be seen throughout most conflict-ridden nations of Africa. These precious stones saw a major use during the post-Cold War era, which funded for many conflicts in Africa. The blood diamond trade is the perfect example of natural resources in Africa being used for corrupt actions, trades, and conflict that must be prevented to save lives. International attention must be sought and more jurisdictions should be taken into action. The issue of blood diamonds must be taken seriously before more innocent blood is shed and lives are lost, as in the past. Many countries that are notoriously affected with the issue of the blood diamond trade are Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire), Zimbabwe, the Republic of Congo, and Cote d’Ivoire (Armstrong). In the early 1980’s, the early forms of the blood diamond trade began to surface in these nations. However major campaigns of the blood diamond trade began in the 1990’s, especially after the end of the Cold War era (Armstrong). Mining conditions were poor as workers earned around seven cents a day, but they were willing to work through these horrible conditions as they hoped for a better life by mining for blood diamonds, which would be a quick way to prosper and help their family (Armstrong). One