When did blood diamonds start in Africa?
The very specific UN definition of blood diamonds was formulated during the 1990s, when brutal civil wars were being waged in parts of western and central Africa by rebel groups based in diamond-rich areas of their countries.
What is the history of the diamond trade in Africa?
The story of diamonds in South Africa begins between December 1866 and February 1867 when 15-year-old Erasmus Jacobs found a transparent rock on his father’s farm, on the south bank of the Orange River. Over the next few years, South Africa yielded more diamonds than India had in over 2,000 years.
When did the blood diamond conflict start and end?
The war between 1991 and 1999 claimed over 75,000 lives, caused 500,000 Sierra Leoneans to become refugees, and displaced half of the countries 4.5 million people[6]. Also during this period, the Sierra Leone economy was being cheated out of millions of dollars in the form of illegal diamonds.
Where did blood diamonds originate?
Conflict diamonds, or blood diamonds, are rough diamonds mined in conflict zones that are used by armed groups to finance conflict and commit grave human rights abuses. Conflict diamonds have originated from Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
What is Blood Diamond in Africa?
It is an industry that was supposed to be cleaned up, after the turn-of-the-millennium notoriety surrounding so-called blood or conflict diamonds—precious stones mined in African war zones, often by forced labor, and used to fund armed rebel movements.
Where are blood diamonds found in Africa?
Diamonds mined during the 20th–21st century civil wars in Angola, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau have been given the label.
Why are diamonds common in Africa?
Diamonds in Africa were formed somewhere between 600 million and 3 billion years ago when titanic-force pressure and heat caused carbon 1,200 miles (1,931 km) below the Earth’s surface to crystallize. As recently as a million years ago, erupting molten rock brought the diamonds closer to the Earth’s surface.
Which African country has the most diamonds?
Botswana
Making Diamonds Work Diamonds need not lead to horror. Botswana, the world’s largest diamond producer, is one of the most stable and prosperous countries in Africa. The diamond industry there employs nearly a fourth of the country’s 1.5 million people and accounts for two-thirds of government income.
Who is Danny Archer based on?
Against this historical backdrop, Blood Diamond, set in Sierra Leone in 1999, tells the story of the intersecting lives of Danny Archer, an Anglo ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe, Solomon Vandy, a fisherman from Sierra Leone, and Maddy Bowen, a American reporter. The film begins with an RUF raid of Solomon’s village.
Why are they called Blood Diamonds in Africa?
What Are Blood Diamonds? War diamonds have received their name because they are being mined in war or conflict areas. This is the case of blood diamonds in Africa which are sold financially to support wrong causes such as armies and warlords.
When did the United Nations discover blood diamonds?
In 1998 the United Nations discovered the issue of Blood Diamonds was being used to fund the civil wars in Africa. By May 2000 a meeting of the diamond producing countries of South Africa was brought together in Kimberley, South Africa.
Why are there so many war diamonds in Africa?
War diamonds have received their name because they are being mined in war or conflict areas. This is the case of blood diamonds in Africa which are sold financially to support wrong causes such as armies and warlords.
Where did the diamonds come from for the Civil War?
From 1989 to 2003 Liberia, which is located next to country of Sierra Leone, was also engaged in the civil war and became the main route for exporting conflict diamonds from Sierra Leone. In 1998 the United Nations discovered the issue of Blood Diamonds was being used to fund the civil wars in Africa.