Conflict diamonds have funded many civil wars and resulted in thousands of deaths: Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2000 where 75,000 died, Angola from 1992 to 2002 where 700,000 died, and Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1998 to 2003 where 2.5 million died (12 LeBillion).
(4) legionantiques.com
Many of the rebels that fought in these civil wars made millions of dollars, consorted and made deals with terrorists, and committed terrible atrocities with conflict diamonds. In the Angolan Civil War, National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) rebels made between three and four billion dollars through the diamond trade between 1992 and 1998 according to United Nations estimates (13 Roberts). UNITA used this money to sustain the war almost gained power.
(5 ) pelogifam.wordpress.com
In the Sierra Leone Civil War, Revolutionary United Front (RUF) amputated the limbs of hundreds of civilians, including children, during the war (14 National Geographic). RUF is linked to ‘child soldiers,’ children that are forced, or brain washed, to fight, kill, and torture. A French journalist told an account of how they tortured their victims, “at 2 p.m., they gouge out two eyes, at 3 p.m., they cut off one hand, at 4 p.m., they cut off two hands, at 5 p.m., they cut off one foot and ... at 7 p.m. it is the death which falls down” (15 Maslen).
(6) fortliberty.org
In another account a reporter from the Herald Guardian who had been captured by the RUF said,
“There were little kids, boys, around seven, nine, twelve years old who were among the soldiers. They had guns and felt they had power . . . I saw girls held in vehicles ready to be transported. The last groups of kids I saw were held at the Branch Energy mining group office in Koidu town. They had 1,500-2,000 of them there. I saw them. In Koidu, the junta forces shouted for kids and gathered them. A soldier told me they are holding these kids as a shield in the event of an ECOMOG attack. They also use them as soldiers, for labour, and for sexual purposes” (15 Maslen).
(7) xaviermissionaries.org
The RUF is even linked to terrorism. A senior commander for the RUF rebel group sold $100,000 worth of conflict diamonds to al-Qaeda operatives, including Ahmed Khalifan Guailani, wanted for his role in a truck bombing at the US embassy in Tanzania, and Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, head of the al-Qaeda in Kenyan, with plans of regular purchases (13 Roberts).
