Not too many people care/know about the catastrophic loss of life that goes on daily in Africa.

I decided to talk about one cause I am most passionate about.

A "conflict" or "Blood" diamond, is a diamond obtained in a war zone, right on top of many peaceful villages.

Ok, first we have a governmental coup. Then this spawn many resistance groups, that wage war with the new boss. Now Africa has many untapped Diamond, gold, and uranium mines. But of them the diamonds are easier to get, and sell without so many questions (It is nearly impossible to trace where a diamond was found, or to follow it as it isn't regular currency).

So naturally one would try to obtain a mine so they can fund their war. This brings 3 sometimes 4 or 5 factions of warlords down on one single area.

Diamonds are very common in the rivers. And what normally rests near rivers? People.
They need to river to survive. And what do you need to find a diamond? People. I think we know where this is headed.

The warlords (who ever controls the area at the time) will drain the village of people to look for Diamonds. The other warlords, to try and curve the flow of diamonds going to the opposing faction, fire on the villagers while they look. They will also lay minds on the river banks to keep people away.

This occurs mainly in the countries of Sierra Leone, The Congo, Angola, and Liberia.

Women, children, elderly, retarded, or disabled people are not excluded. Their choice is to get shot by the warlord who wants them to work, if they refuse. Or get shot by the other warlord when they do go to work.

People missing arms, legs, eyes, hands, feet, even pieces of the head is common place.
And all this death, for what? A Diamond.

A diamond....

You can't eat it. You can't drive it. It doesn't make you smarter, or cure any type of dieses. It is a shiny thing. One that people are being so horribly wronged over.
It makes me cry to think about it.

Does anyone else care?

Sierra Leone:
50 000 dead, half a million refugees, and tens of thousands of amputees.

A UN Expert Panel report published in December 2000 estimated that in Sierra Leone, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF)'s diamond trade amounted to $25 million to $125 million in diamonds per year in the late 1990s.

Angola:
Angola's civil war left half a billion dead and 86 000 maimed. $3.7 billion in diamonds was pocketed by UNITA, the rebel movement in Angola, between 1992 and 1999 alone.

Congo:
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's war continues today, with rebels and armies from neighboring countries and the DRC committing atrocities. The on-going violence has left 2.5 million dead and millions of people displaced or refugees to date. Hundreds of millions of dollars in diamonds are stolen or smuggled out every year.

For a diamond....

Underground terrorist organizations use diamonds as a money system (including al-queda.) Amsterdam New York daimond dealers have a don't-ask-don't-tell policy about their diamonds.

yes i care, in fact, i started a club called SLIP(sierra leone in progress) which helped th echildren in africa..great cause, if you dont know what it is, educate yourself. if you do...more power to ya!

*shivers* I watched a movie a couple months ago about a doctor in Africa....it was more than I would ever want to see - and it was a movie so they didn't even show close to the extent of what actually goes on.....
The media has been so full of stories of war and Iraq, and now of course the upcoming presidential election that I almost forgot about Africa.

quote:

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Does anyone know if there is a way to know where a diamond comes from before you buy it?

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Not really. Its like asking where a rock came from (or excatly like). It is plucked out of the ground.

i read about that in national geographic. the worst part was the pictures of all the little kids who were missing arms and legs, it's so terrible. companies need to boycott "blood diamonds" and we need to raise public awareness so that people will think twice before buying new diamonds. Does anyone know if there is a way to know where a diamond comes from before you buy it?

Sierra Leone is currently ranked last on the UN's Human Development Index.

Indonessia is pretty bad off too.
Muslim head hunters... *shivers*

I don't know, Mugabe's Zimbabwe is pretty bad, same goes for North Korea and Myamar/Burma.

Sierra Leone is possibly THE most messed up place on the planet...