U.S. Congress Considers Conflict Diamonds Law

In March 2001 Representative Tony Hall, with the support of 80 other Congressmen, submitted a bill aimed at placing controls on the importation of conflict diamonds Titled “Clean Diamonds Act.” The purpose of the bill was to prevent the importation of diamonds that are being used by rebels and dictators to finance military activities to overthrow governments and interfere with international efforts that promote peace and stability, and harm citizens of these countries in order to obtain the diamonds. The bill focuses on the atrocities that have occurred in parts of Africa where “6,500,000 people from Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been driven from their homes by wars waged in large part for control of diamond mining areas” and have financed some of Africa’s civil wars…[more]