I may have a conflict(blood) diamond??

Quick background if you have not seen the movie "Blood Diamond" (which I highly recommend):

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme is an international governmental certification scheme that was set up to prevent the trade in diamonds that fund conflict. Launched in '03, it requires governments to certify that shipments of rough diamonds are free from blood diamonds(also endorced by the UN). The idea is for members to only trade among themselves in an effort to keep conflict diamonds out of the market.

The problemo though is that the diamond industry is not policing itself effectively and governments don't bother to hold them accountable for this. The illicit diamond trade is still flourishing as diamonds are a high value product that are very easily smuggled across borders. In Sierra Leone, experts assess the illicit trade to be about 20%. Not to mention that illicit trade has been shown to fund terrorism and aid money-laundering activities. In Guinea diamond production has increased 500% in recent years...which is quite interresting as Guinea doesn't really have any diamond mines?? Obviously they're being smuggled in from Sierra Leone or Liberia...or the DRC even.

The military in Zimbabwe, under the control of Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), killed more than 200 people in a violent takeover of the diamond fields in late 2008. (According to a recent Human Rights Watch report->http://www.hrw.org/node/83960)


What about the US?? A recent United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) report shows that blood diamonds may be entering the US because of major weaknesses in the implementation of the Clean Diamond Trade Act. This is sadly ironic that as we buy these conflict diamonds, the funds are going directly to terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda->( Washington Post journalist Douglas Farah wrote a good book on this: "Blood From Stones: The Secret Financial Network of Terror").

Sadly, being the chronic-realist that I am, I really don't see anything being done about this as where there is $$ to be made, greed and corruption are close behind. I guess just be aware and appreciate your "rock(s)" a little more as it may have cost people their lives.

***To end on a more positive note, check out this article:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25718236-25837,00.html

-apparently they've never been to, or heard stories from the US/Mexican border haha.