Special Assignment is proud to present an investigation into conflict diamonds by acclaimed journalist Sorious Samura.
Armed with a secret camera, Sorious follows the trail of illegally-acquired diamonds from the mines in Sierra Leone, across the border into Guinea. There are no controls whatsoever on this smuggling route, and once in Guinea Sorious manages to buy and sell stones, no questions asked. The trail then leads to the DRC, where illicit diamond digging takes place in many remote areas. There men live and die for diamonds. He finally meets up with diamond merchants in New York, whom he approaches undercover as a diamond smuggler and discovers that nine out of the ten he meets are more than happy to buy his illicit gems. We are presented with a clear picture of the illegal trade in diamonds which has the potential to fund not only new wars, but also to perpetuate human rights violations and stunt the development of African nations.
More than 70 countries have signed up to the so-called Kimberley Process since 2003. This means that all diamonds are tracked from where they’re mined to the retailers who finally sell them. That’s the theory at any rate. In practice many diamonds never make it onto the strictly controlled registers. They are mined illegally, cross borders secretly and are snapped up in major cities by unscrupulous traders.
Diamonds have always been a symbol of wealth, power and romance. Perhaps not all of them should end up on engagement rings.
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