![\"Dr](\"http:\/\/sem.lamtech.sl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Dr-Oladiran-Bello.jpg\")
<\/a>Dr Oladiran Bello<\/p><\/div>\n
Rafael explains that the definition of conflict diamonds under The Kimberley Process is too narrow. Oladiran agrees. \u201cThis is the question The Kimberley Process needs to address going forward. It\u2019s fairly clear to everyone that it\u2019s not just rebels who are capable of handling conflict gems as it were\u2026 Across Africa you\u2019ve seen situations where governments are culpable in massive violations of human rights in areas where diamonds are produced.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>Rafael Marques de Morais<\/p><\/div>\n
Rafael has investigated how the diamond industry became more violent after the civil war in Angola, as those in power used war tactics to ensure that the revenue from the diamond industry remained in their pockets. He believes The Kimberley Process is a cover used by governments to hide corruption in the diamond trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe process of buying diamonds was centralised in such a way and legitimised by The Kimberley Process and The United Nations, that the president\u2019s daughter took 25% of that business enterprise, and that\u2019s what\u2019s wrong with the diamond industry in Angola,\u201d says Rafael.<\/p>\n
Oladiran says conflict diamonds are not a uniquely African problem. \u201cThe African context is the one that\u2019s often talked about,\u201d he says, pointing to the world\u2019s awareness of Sierra Leone, Liberia and The Democratic Republic of Congo in particular. \u201cBut make no mistake, it is not a uniquely African problem. We\u2019ve seen situations like Venezuela, a country that has for a long time freely absented itself from the Kimberley Certification Process. There are still questions being asked today about where diamonds mined in Venezuela go.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>Farai Maguwu<\/p><\/div>\n
Redi asks Farai why one of the founding partners of The Kimberley Process, Global Witness, withdrew its support after diamonds from Zimbabwe were declared \u201cconflict free.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen The Kimberley Process declared Zimbabwe\u2019s diamonds as \u2018conflict-free,\u2019 it appeared there were a lot of issues that were ignored that civil society is passionate about, especially the issues of human rights. I acknowledge that we now have very limited cases of human rights violations in Zimbabwe compared to the past, but what was angering civil society is assertion by The Kimberley Process that human rights are not even a Kimberley Process issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group discusses how the diamond industry needs to be regulated moving forward, what the responsibility of consumers is, and how African countries can move to utilise these valuable natural resources.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s episode of\u00a0South2North<\/i>\u00a0premieres at 19:30 GMT on Friday, 8 November 2013 and also screens on Saturday at 14h30, Sunday 04h30 and Monday 08h30.<\/p>\n
For more info, visit www.aljazeera.com\/programmes\/south2north\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can also tweet your questions, comments and opinions to @AJSouth2North or find\u00a0South2North\u00a0<\/i>on Facebook:\u00a0http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/South-2-North\/255419671252120<\/a>.<\/p>\n