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

Jewellers and wholesalers may unwittingly purchase diamonds that passed through illicit channels, as traffickers hide the diamonds' origins.

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.