Chapter 982 Blood Diamond (1/2)

After laughing, Remonin suddenly grew serious.

He looked at Li Du with honest eyes and said, ”You may look down upon me, Mr. Li, but

I can get in touch with them. I already have.”

Li Du was frowning. If Remonin could contact any big diamond import and export

company and get a valuation, but the other side did not cooperate successfully with him,

it could only mean that his diamonds were problematic.

The diamonds in his hand must be blood diamonds!

The diamonds on Remonin's property were blood diamonds, also known as black

diamonds, so no wonder he had trouble selling them off.

Many people around the world already knew the meaning of the term 'blood diamonds'.

In many parts of Africa, diamond mining has been carried out in the most brutal, bloody,

and barbaric way.

This process consisted of unethical practices, from the excavation of diamonds to

exporting them to the international market.

According to what Li Du knew, there were still many small diamond mines in sub-

Saharan Africa, and about a million people depended on diamond-mining for their

livelihood.

The miners often received no payment but food for their work. In some of the larger

mines, entire generations of miners had worked under conditions similar to slavery, for

little to no payment. This corrupt and immoral practice began at the time when

European colonists were not held accountable to anyone and considered the lives of

native people to be dispensable commodities.

However, over the years, as the diamond trade grew more transparent and Europeans

lost some of their dominance in Africa, companies based in Europe and the United

States have improved their treatment of diamond miners in Africa, allowing workers to

receive contract pay and making working conditions safer.

African blood diamonds were now supplied mainly by local warlords, who were equal in

ferocity and violence to the former colonist mine owners, and violently oppressing the

miners.

Li Du looked up at Remonin and said, ”You have blood diamonds in your hands, don't

you?”

Remonin carelessly took a small bag out of his pocket, opened it and threw it on the

table. A pile of shiny stones rolled out.

He said, ”Blood diamonds? Do you see any blood? Their color is snow-white, so if

anything, they should be called snow diamonds.”

”You know what I mean. If you produce blood diamonds here, it would be very difficult to

sell them off,” said Li Du.

In May 2000, the World Diamond Council launched a program called the Kimberley

Process to stem blood diamond trade and make white diamonds more attractive.

Two years later, the United Nations adopted the Kimberley Process International

Certification system for rough diamonds, which began to regulate the diamond market in

Africa.

The Kimberley Process Certification System was basically a supervision system for the

drilling and export of rough diamonds. The country of origin was responsible for the

production and transportation of rough diamonds from the mine to the export site.

Each batch of rough diamonds set for export would be packaged in a damage-proof

container with a Kimberley Process Certificate issued by the competent authority of the

exporting government.

Thus, diamonds could not be marketed without certificates issued by Kimberley Process

members.

Mozambique was a sovereign state and succumbed to the authority of the Kimberley