January 28, 2003
International regulations cracking down on the illicit trade in diamonds, a driving force behind African wars, will take effect next month but experts have warned against high expectations. The initiative, dubbed the Kimberley Process, has taken close to three years to materialise, and enjoys support from 56 countries, including members of the Southern African Development Community, the European Union and the United Nations.
It aims to curb trade in so-called "blood diamonds", defined as rough diamonds obtained by using or threatening to use coercion or military force, exploited by many rebel movements to finance their activities, mainly in mineral-rich Africa.
"We are very optimistic that the Kimberley Process is going to make a difference in the industry and definitely reduce trade in conflict diamonds," Kimberley Process chairman Abbey Chikane said. The new system is intended to determine a diamond's origin when it passes through customs. Any rough diamond entering or leaving a country taking part in the scheme would have to be transported in a sealed container and accompanied by a certificate of origin.
Chikane said the process was launched in January but participating countries have been given until February 1 to make sure checking procedures at borders were in place. "We agreed to consider the first month as a tolerance month within which we are not going to penalise participants who have not issued certificates because of technical issues," he said. Punitive measures, such as confiscating diamonds without the proper certification, will be taken from February.
But analysts remain sceptical about the impact of the process, which some African non-governmental organisations have labelled a "toothless watchdog, chained to a kennel." Jakkie Celliers, director of South Africa's Institute for Security Studies and author of a book on blood diamond trade, said the Kimberley Process was a step in the right direction, but would ultimately have a limited impact.
According to the European Commission, blood diamonds represent between 2% and 4% of global diamond production. He added that the end to conflicts, as in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, would have a greater impact on reducing illegal trade than the Kimberley Process.
Reports of blood diamond trafficking in Angola and Sierra Leone were made public in 1998, and non-governmental organisations such as Global Witness called for action. This triggered the Kimberley Process, which is named after the South African diamond-mining town.
"Diamonds were used to fuel conflict... in a decade of very brutal wars, people were mutilated and tens of thousands were killed," said Corinna Gilfillan, a campaigner at Global Witness. "There was enormous pressure on the diamond industry and the governments to do something." Both Cilliers and Gilfillan expressed concern about flaws in the new system.
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