In a short paragraph, explain what conflict diamonds are, and the Kimberly Process

Diamonds and Politics
Diamond is one of the rarest and most expensive mineral resources in the world. Gem-quality diamond is used for jewelry because of its beauty. Lesser-quality diamond is used in grinding, drilling, and cutting tools. This is because diamond is the hardest natural substance known.

Where does diamond come from? It forms at high temperature and pressure more than 150 km below the surface of Earth. Melted rock, called magma, is brought to Earth’s surface when a volcano erupts. The magma, containing diamond, cools and becomes solid rock. Humans can then remove the rock in open-pit and underground mines and separate the diamond from the surrounding rock.

Open-pit Diamond Mine
Diamonds are mined in many parts of the world. Since the 1870s, they have been extracted from African mines. The regions of south and south-central Africa are rich in diamonds. African countries are the world’s largest producers of diamonds. Botswana produces the most diamonds. South Africa is second and Angola third. The sale of Africa’s diamonds has swelled the economies of these countries. Botswana, for example, has used diamond money to build health facilities and roads.

This piece of rock contains several diamonds.
Conflict Diamonds
Most diamonds are mined by workers for international companies. After the rough diamonds are separated from rock, they are cut and polished. Then they are sent to jewelers to be sold. Although most diamonds are mined and sold legally, not all are. Toward the end of the 20th century, terrorist groups began to mine and sell diamonds illegally. These groups smuggle the diamonds into other countries to be sold. The diamonds themselves are no different from legal diamonds. However, the money from their sale is illegally obtained. Terrorists use the money to fund their activities against governments of targeted countries. These activities may involve small armed rebel conflicts or actual civil wars that last for years.

Terrorist diamonds are also known as conflict diamonds. They are also called blood diamonds. Although they aren’t colored red, conflict diamonds have been involved in bloodshed. Many people have lost their lives by opposing terrorist activities. After several years of terror, representatives of several countries got together to find a way to put an end to conflict diamonds. The result was the formation of the Kimberley Process in 2000.

The Kimberley Process
Each diamond that is sold on the diamond market must have documents certifying the country of origin and the name of the seller. A diamond must also have a guarantee that it is conflict-free based on United Nations rules. These rules are called the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). The record is updated every time a diamond is bought or sold. In addition to keeping tabs on the diamonds, KPCS regulators keep tabs on the countries that are participating. Any country that does not follow the rules of the KPCS is punished and can be expelled from diamond industry organizations. Today, about 99% of all diamonds worldwide are mined and sold legally by Kimberley Process countries.