The Central African Republic (CAR) will soon resume its diamond exports following a deal between the government and diamond producers that was brokered by the United Arab Emirates, according to a report by IDEX Online.
Diamond exports from the CAR were banned by the Kimberley Process in 2013 due to concerns that proceeds from diamonds were being used to fund ongoing conflict. Before 2013, the diamond trade accounted for some 40% of exports from the CAR, notes IDEX Online.
“The effective resumption of exports from CAR was one of the main priorities of the KP chairmanship 2016 and I am particularly proud that we have been able to break the deadlock that has obstructed effective exports for so long,” says Kimberley Process chairman Ahmed Bin Sulayem, who held a series of meetings between the country’s Mines Ministry and the country’s main diamond producer.
