Game of Stones

The report details how armed groups in the Central African Republic, specifically the Seleka and anti-balaka, have systematically exploited diamond resources to fund violence. It highlights the failure of the Kimberley Process suspension to stop the flow of diamonds, which are 'naturalised' in neighbouring countries like Cameroon to enter international markets. The document warns that the introduction of 'compliant zones' for legal exports risks legitimising conflict diamonds, particularly those amassed in stockpiles by buying houses like Sodiam and Badica during the export ban.

• Armed groups in the Central African Republic, including the Seleka and anti-balaka, have used diamond wealth to fund campaigns of violence through extortion, illegal taxation, and the issuance of fraudulent mining permits.
• The Seleka leadership engaged in high-level resource exploitation, including granting mining concessions to international companies from the UAE and Sudan, and allowing individuals like Oumar Younous to sell diamonds in Dubai, Qatar, and China without state oversight.
• Smugglers circumvent the Kimberley Process by 'naturalising' CAR diamonds in neighbouring countries, specifically Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, by obtaining fraudulent paperwork to claim the stones were mined elsewhere.
• International smuggling networks move CAR diamonds to global trading hubs, with reported destinations including Belgium, Brazil, France, China, Israel, Lebanon, South Africa, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
• Large buying houses, such as Badica and Sodiam, amassed significant diamond stockpiles during CAR's Kimberley Process suspension, some of which were sourced from areas controlled by armed groups.
• The Kimberley Process's strategy of creating 'compliant zones' for partial export resumption is risky, as it may allow diamonds from non-compliant areas to be smuggled into these zones or allow the export of conflict-tainted stockpiles.

APA

Global Witness (n.d.). Game of Stones. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/conflict-diamonds/game-of-stones/

Chicago

Global Witness. Game of Stones. n.d. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/conflict-diamonds/game-of-stones/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=Game of Stones |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/conflict-diamonds/game-of-stones/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitnessndgame, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Game of Stones}}, institution = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/conflict-diamonds/game-of-stones/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }