The World Diamond Council is moving to crack down on the illegal trade in diamonds mined in war zones, often referred to as “conflict” or “blood” diamonds. It’s holding a two-day meeting in London to discuss strategies. The council’s mandate is to develop, implement and oversee a tracking system for the export and import of rough diamonds. Ian Smillie is the research coordinator for Partnership Africa Canada, a Canadian non-governmental organization that’s been working for the past five years to stem the trade in conflict diamonds. He told English to Africa reporter Josephine Kamara the council hopes the new tracking system will prevent the exploitation of diamonds for such illicit purposes.
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