admin | September 14, 2015
A recent report from an expert panel monitoring UN sanctions says that the illicit trafficking of diamonds into Cameroon from the Central African Republic, is helping finance CAR’s continuing conflict.
Although rival armed groups agreed to a peace accord in May 2015, the conflict has continued, and a transitional government has been unable to assert its authority over the vast, mineral-rich country.
In May 2013, the export of diamonds from the CAR was banned by the Kimberley Process, which was created to prevent so-called blood diamonds from funding conflicts.
The report does not directly implicate Cameroonian authorities in the illegal trade.
To read the full article, go to: http://www.trust.org/item/20150901205729-67245/
Photo: In this 2007 file photo a villager holds diamonds dug out from a mine outside the village of Sam Ouandja, northeast of the Central African Republic. Credit: REUTERS/David Lewis