Chains of Abuse: The Global Diamond Supply Chain and the Case of the Central African Republic
Publisher: Amnesty International
Date: 2015
Topics: Extractive Resources
Countries: Central African Republic
The Central African Republic’s (CAR) biggest traders have purchased diamonds worth several million dollars without adequately investigating whether they financed armed groups responsible for summary executions, rape, enforced disappearances and widespread looting. Based on interviews with miners and traders, the report details how armed groups - the Christian or animist anti-balaka and predominantly Muslim Séléka - both profit from the diamond trade by controlling mine sites and “taxing” or extorting “protection” money from miners and traders. It also documents the inspection gaps in diamond trading centres that make it possible for blood diamonds to be traded and sold globally. The report, Chains of Abuse: The Global Diamond Supply Chain and the Case of the Central African Republic, documents several other abuses in the diamond sector, including child labor and tax abuse.