Diamonds symbolise wealth, elegance and love all around the world but in several African nations, they have been used as a means to power, a reason to terrorize millions of innocent civilians, and may have even helped finance some of the world's most dangerous conflicts.

This month on DStv, the human cost of the illicit global diamond trade is examined in a provocative documentary on the History Channel.

Because they are portable, easily concealed and untraceable, diamonds lend themselves to smuggling. In several African nations, warlords have used diamonds to finance wars while the rest of the world turned a blind eye.

Blood diamonds look at some of the world's foremost experts for the facts of the history of the diamond trade and goes to the heart of the matter, interviewing both the victims and perpetrators of diamond-fuelled atrocities.

DStv audiences are introduced to one such victim, Usman Conteh. Captured in Sierra Leone's Kono district, Usman was forced to mine diamonds for rebels - diamonds that were then sold or traded for arms. After months in captivity, Usman escaped only to find that his family had been murdered.

This documentary explores the factors that led to the violence, tells the vivid details of the suffering and speaks with the organizations that eventually exposed the link between diamonds and several brutal African conflicts. BLOOD DIAMONDS looks also at the steps eventually taken by advocacy organizations and the diamond industry to combat the problem.

Source: Daily Guide