Blood diamond

A diamond mined or traded to finance armed conflict or human-rights abuses. The term is especially associated with rebel financing during African civil wars.

Sierra Leone Civil War: An armed conflict in Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2002, marked by rebel violence and extensive civilian suffering. Revolutionary United Front forces financed their campaign partly through diamond mining and trade.
Alluvial diamond mining: The recovery of diamonds from riverbeds, beaches, and other loose sediment deposits. Alluvial deposits are often accessible to small groups and difficult to monitor.
Global Witness: An international nongovernmental organization investigating links between natural resources, corruption, and human-rights abuses. Its reporting helped expose how diamond revenues sustained armed movements.
Conflict diamond: A diamond whose sale finances rebel movements seeking to undermine legitimate governments. This narrower formal definition underlies the Kimberley Process.
Angolan Civil War: A conflict from 1975 to 2002 between rival Angolan movements, sustained by foreign support and natural-resource revenues. UNITA sold diamonds to fund its war after losing access to state oil revenues.
Diamond smuggling: The illegal movement of diamonds across borders or through trade channels to evade laws or controls. Smuggling conceals origin and lets conflict-linked stones enter ordinary markets.
Partnership Africa Canada: A Canadian nongovernmental organization that documented conflict diamonds and advocated controls on their trade. Its advocacy helped drive international negotiations on diamond certification.
Blood mineral: A mineral extracted or traded to finance armed conflict or abusive rule. It generalizes the resource-and-conflict pattern beyond diamonds.
Liberian Civil War: A series of armed conflicts in Liberia from 1989 to 2003 that caused mass displacement and regional instability. Liberian networks helped move diamonds and weapons across borders during neighboring conflicts.
Conflict financing: The acquisition and use of money or resources to support armed conflict. Diamond sales are one resource-based route for financing armed groups.

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