THE diamond industry is in turmoil with the near-collapse of the body designed to keep ''blood diamonds'' out of the global market.
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Global diamond customers can no longer be sure the stones have not been used to buy weapons and fuel violence in Africa, industry observers have said.
The Kimberley Process, established in 2003 to keep blood diamonds out of global trade, has been split over Zimbabwe's Marange diamond fields, forcibly taken over by Robert Mugabe in 2008.
Hundreds of miners were murdered and allegations of violence continue. Last month, it was reported more than 100 dogs were set on miners by police and soldiers, leaving more than 80 people injured.
India, China and Russia want access to the Marange fields, the biggest diamond find in the world for a decade, but the US, EU, Canada and Australia want monitoring. Zimbabwe has refused.
Civil society groups, who walked out of the Kimberley Process meeting in Kinshasa this week, said the process ''does not prevent diamonds from fuelling violence and human rights violations''.
A spokesman for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade described the meeting as ''difficult at times''.
Ben Doherty
