Ten Killed in CAR after KP Lifts Diamond Ban
December 04, 24
(IDEX Online) - Ten people were killed in a brutal attack near the diamond-mining town of Bria, in Central African Republic (CAR) - less than two weeks after the Kimberley Process (KP) lifted its ban on the country.
Six motorbike taxi drivers and four of their passengers were tied up and had their throats slit by unidentified assailants on 27 November.
Twelve days earlier, KP members at the plenary in UAE voted to re-admit CAR as a full member, in light of what it described as "an improving security situation".
Rufin Benam-Beltoungou, CAR's minister of mines and geology spoke of his "joy and satisfaction". UAE's Kimberley Process chair, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, travelled to CAR and had pushed extensively for the KP to re-admit the country.
Diamonds exports from CAR were banned in 2013 as a civil war raged in the country.
The Seleka, a coalition of predominantly Muslim rebel groups, toppled the government and forced then Francois Bozize from office in a conflict that was reportedly funded by conflict diamonds.
The area where the attack happened, 600km northeast of Bangui, the country's capital, has been plagued by fighting between government forces, backed by Russian mercenaries, and rebel groups, particularly the Coalition of Patriots for Change.
CAR is one of the world's poorest countries and still faces significant challenges in establishing lasting peace and stability. The Wagner Group mercenaries have been accused of gross human rights violations.
Pic, courtesy Kimberley Process, shows chair Ahmed Bin Sulayem (left) and Rufin Benam-Beltoungou, CAR's minister of mines and geology.