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The Central African Republic’s (CAR) biggest traders have purchased diamonds worth several million dollars without properly investigating whether they financed armed groups, Amnesty International claims in a new report.
And CAR’s diamond companies could soon start exporting diamonds again following its government agreeing to meet the conditions of the Kimberley Process, which is responsible for preventing the international trade in blood diamonds. As a result the export ban, which has been in place since May 2013, could now be partially lifted. Prior to the ban, diamonds represented half the country’s exports.
Lucy Graham, Legal Adviser in Amnesty’s Business and Human Rights Team said: “If companies have bought blood diamonds, they must not be allowed to profit from them. The government should confiscate any blood diamonds, sell them and use the money for the public benefit. The people of CAR have a right to profit from their own natural resources. As the country seeks to rebuild, it needs its diamonds to be a blessing, not a curse.
“This is a wake-up call for the diamond sector. States and companies can no longer use the Kimberley Process as a fig leaf to reassure consumers that their diamonds are ethically sourced.”
Based on interviews with miners and traders, the report details how armed groups both profit from the diamond trade by controlling mine sites and “taxing” or extorting “protection” money from miners and traders.
The report also documents the inspection gaps in diamond trading centres that make it possible for blood diamonds to be traded and sold globally.
Amnesty says it wants the CAR government to confiscate diamonds unless exporting companies can prove they have not financed armed groups.
The report – which looks at several countries in the diamond supply chain, from CAR to Belgium and the United Arab Emirates – also details human rights abuses, smuggling and tax dodging throughout the diamond supply chain.
With the diamond industry due to gather at the Jewellery Industry Summit in March 2016 to discuss responsible sourcing, Amnesty is calling on governments and international diamond companies to support stronger regulation of the sector.
Picture credit: ID 30688504 © Everythingpossible | Dreamstime.com
