Blood diamonds, also known as conflict diamonds, are diamonds that are mined in war zones and sold to finance armed conflicts. Conflict diamonds have been used to fund some of the most brutal wars in recent history, including the wars in Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is an international certification system that was created in 2003 to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate diamond trade. The KPCS requires all rough diamonds to be certified as conflict-free before they can be exported or imported. However, the KPCS has been criticized for being ineffective, and conflict diamonds continue to enter the legitimate diamond trade.