This time, the problem isn't rebels, it's corrupt governments
(NEWSER) - The diamond industry says 99% of its gems for sale these days are "conflict-free," meaning it has wiped out the so-called "blood diamond" trade. A visit to Angola by Michael Allen of the Wall Street Journal knocks a big hole in that claim. "A violent economy prevails in which thousands of peasant miners eke out a living searching for diamonds with shovels and sieves," he writes. "Because they lack government permits, miners and their families say they are routinely beaten and shaken down for bribes by soldiers and private security guards—and, in extreme cases, killed." More»
