Diamonds In The Rough

In an African tragedy, the world's purest gems are funding one of the dirtiest wars in history

The woman has been waiting under the baobab tree for maybe two days. The sun burns through the branches of the tree that the locals say God grew upside down because it looks as if its roots are on top. She has two children with her, and they play in the dust, chasing chickens around the base of the huge tree, eating roasted corncobs from the campfire. A 4x4 truck with Zambian registration draws up, and a black man in a khaki safari suit gets out. The woman reaches inside her bra and draws out a twist of dirty cloth. Inside...

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