19 June 2002
The capitals of the Republic of Congo, Brazzaville; and of the Central African Republic, Bangui, are being used as conduits for the illegal smuggling diamonds from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Partnership Africa Canada and the Belgian International Peace Information Service said in a recent joint report.
In their report, entitled "Hard Currency: The Criminalised Diamond Economy of the Democratic Republic of Congo and its Neighbours", they said US $100 million-worth of illicit and conflict diamonds passed through Bangui each year, and hundreds of millions of dollars worth through Brazzaville. While CAR produced diamonds of its own, official exports were significantly lower than the volume of diamonds appearing on international markets, said the report.
[Full report available on http://partnershipafricacanada.org/index.shtml]
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