Trade, tariffs and industry

Executive Order 13194: Prohibiting the Importation of Rough Diamonds From Sierra Leone

President: Bill Clinton

Banned imports of rough diamonds from Sierra Leone that lacked government certificates during the civil-war emergency.

Status: Revoked — by EO 13324 on January 15, 2004.

Is Executive Order 13194 still in effect? No. EO 13324 revoked it in 2004.

What does Executive Order 13194 do?

EO 13194 declared a national emergency over the Revolutionary United Front’s illicit diamond trade and prohibited uncertified Sierra Leone rough-diamond imports. EO 13312 later aligned the restrictions with the Kimberley Process. EO 13324 terminated the Sierra Leone and Liberia diamond emergency and revoked EO 13194 in January 2004 after the war ended and a certification regime was operating.

Later evidence reviewed September 23, 2026: EO 13324 revoked EO 13194 and ended the emergency. GovInfo — EO 13324. This later record documents the stated step; it does not by itself establish every downstream agency action or legal outcome.

Administration position: The order targeted a conflict-financing trade channel, not every diamond from Sierra Leone and not the country’s people generally.
SignedJanuary 18, 2001
TargetUncertified Sierra Leone rough diamonds
RevokedEO 13324 on January 15, 2004

Before and after

Before the order

Rebel-controlled diamond revenues financed violence despite United Nations restrictions.

After the order

US imports required Sierra Leone government certification until a broader Kimberley Process system replaced the emergency measure.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
TreasuryAdminister import prohibitions and licensesEnded
Customs authoritiesEnforce border restrictionsMoved to later diamond-control law
ImportersVerify permitted certificationNow governed by the Clean Diamond Trade Act

What happened next

EO 13194 declared the emergency.

EO 13312 aligned controls with the Kimberley Process.

EO 13324 revoked EO 13194 and ended the emergency.

Signed text, official disposition and the cited later implementation records for EO 13194 rechecked.