Blood Diamonds History Channel

Sierra Leone, once exporting a lucrative 2 million karats of diamonds per year, would fall victim to political greed and become one of the poorest nations on earth--ripe for revolution. In 1991, a rebel army called the Revolutionary United Front began a ten-year civil war, attacking the civilian population, including children, and murdering and raping countless others. Control of the diamond fields was one of the key objectives, funding civil wars throughout Africa, resulting in 4 million deaths. We explore the history behind the issue known as "blood diamonds", fueled by the illicit trade of diamonds, the diamond industry's response, and investigate the possibility of the blood diamond issue repeating. The heart of the story is related through the harrowing personal accounts of Sierra Leoneans, who vividly describe their individual tragedies and struggles to recover after the war.