Who Buys Blood Diamonds May 2026

Rebel factions in countries like Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Central African Republic (CAR) directly seize diamond mines and sell the stones to arms traffickers to fund military campaigns.

The initial buyers are typically black-market merchants and organized crime syndicates, particularly in West and Central Africa. who buys blood diamonds

These stones are often smuggled across borders into neighboring countries. There, they are mixed with legally mined, KP-certified stocks and sold on the open market, masking their origin. Rebel factions in countries like Angola, Sierra Leone,

Jewellers and wholesalers may unwittingly purchase diamonds that passed through illicit channels, as traffickers hide the diamonds' origins. There, they are mixed with legally mined, KP-certified

In modern cases, blood diamonds are not always linked to non-state rebels; sometimes, they are linked to state-sanctioned abuses or forced labor.

Those who buy or profit from blood diamonds include middlemen, criminal syndicates, and, often unknowingly, international retailers and consumers. 1. Illicit Traders and Smugglers