Diamond Trafficking Fuels Central African Republic Violence
- Gems bought without full probing of origins, Amnesty says
- Diamonds' extraction may have involved child labor, tax abuse
Demonstrators gather in Bangui on Sept. 28, 2015.
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Illicit trafficking of diamonds in the Central African Republic has helped finance a more than two-year conflict, which has flared up again as the fiercest bout of fighting in the capital in a year has left more than 50 people dead, Amnesty International said.
Traders who have bought diamonds worth “several million dollars” failed to investigate if the beneficiaries are armed groups who carry out executions, rape and looting, the London-based rights group said Wednesday in a report. Local companies could soon begin exporting stockpiled gems that may have been mined by child laborers and avoided taxes.