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Global Curbs on Conflict Diamonds:

Besides the United Nations, various governments, trade organizations and the diamond sector itself have lately been cooperating globally to check the trade of 'Conflict Diamonds' - goods which are smuggled out of Angola, Sierra Leone and D.R. Congo for purchasing weapons of destruction for waging civil wars.Wholesale gemstone pendents by weight The World Diamond Congress of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (lDMA) at Antwerp in 2000 took serious note of the problem and chartered a 'World Diamond Council' to initiate and coordinate global efforts for curbing Conflict Diamonds. De Beers, CIBJO, India's Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, Israel's Diamond Institute, Diamond High Council of Antwerp, American Gem Traders Association, etc. all joined hands for this humanitarian cause. Besides, the U.S. Congress instructing the administration to be vigilant against Conflict Diamonds means identifying 'Clean Goods'. These diverse efforts finally resulted in adoption of the Kimberley Process and self-regulating measures. These measures became operational by the end of 2002 under the overall aegis of the UN Security Council. Wholesale labrorite Jewellery

Certification Scheme Implemented:
A self-regulatory Certificate Scheme for diamonds developed under the Kimberley Process became fully operational in September, 2003. 35 diamond trading countries including India opted to implement it fully. Nodal Agencies to monitor the actual implementation of the Certificate Scheme. were nominated and entrusted with smooth operation thereof

take over by Government:
Sometime ago the Angolan Government decreed the suspension of all contracts previously signed with Endiama and introduced new legislation governing the prospecting and marketing of diamonds.

Security Tightened:

In the meanwhile angolan authorities are strengthening security along the country's 5,000­kilometre border to prevent illegal diamond prospecting. By the end of April, 2004 a new cordon had covered about 90 per cent of the frontier, according to the police.

The cordon is made up of border posts linked by roads which will be patrolled by about 4,000 specialy trained border policemen.

According to the Angolan government, of roughly 290,000 diamond traffickers in the country, 90,000 are foreigners believed to be coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone. In December 2003, the Angolan army started a campaign against diamond traffickers, arresting some 700, half of whom were foreigners.

Centralized Security:

The Angolan government has set up a new security body to monitor the currently loosely controlled diamond-mining sector. Called the Corpo de Seguranca de Diamantes (CSD), it will monitor the storage, classification and transportation of diamonds.

CSD will operate under the control of the domestic intelligence service, according to media reports. The government's security shakeup aims to centralize and strengthen control over a sector plagued by warlords and unregulated competition between official mining operations and thousands of small-scale diggers. As part 'of ongoing efforts to curb illegal diamond trafficking, the Angolan army arrested 700 people during an operation in the central province of Bie in December and 10,000 illegal Congolese diamond miners were expelled.
The illegal miners operate mainly in the diamond-rich northern provinces of Lunda Norte, Malenj, Uije and the central province of Bie. Angola is the world's fourth-largest diamond producer after Botswana, Russia and South Africa.