On November 12, the Kimberley Process plenary meeting is held in Dubai. This meeting is very important for the Central African Republic as it will discuss the partial or full lifting of the embargo on diamond exports will be discussed.
The Central African Republic has been under a diamond embargo for more than a decade. Mining restrictions were imposed after the 2013 political-military crisis, so the Republic hopes to convince the Kimberley Process to lift all the restrictions.
In September 2024, for the first time since 2015, an expert mission was able to visit several mining sites in CAR to assess the security situation in the country, as this is an important condition for the partial or full lifting of the embargo.
It is worth noting that in 2015, the mission noted progress in restoring peace and security in the country.
At that time, the Minister of Mines and Geology of the Central African Republic, Rufin Benam Beltoungou, emphasized that all the conditions of the mission have been fulfilled, there are no security problems in the country, but the restrictions are still standing in place.
The Central African Republic is rich in diamonds and gold. The development of the mining sector will help revitalize the country's economy, provide jobs, increase government revenues, and strengthen partnerships, which is why CAR has been fulfilling all the conditions of the Kimberley Process for 11 years to have the embargo on diamond lifted.
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The CAR government, the country's partners and civil society are longing for the complete lifting of the embargo and the development of their country. Who benefits from the unfair sanctions imposed on CAR?
The work of the Kimberley Process cannot be called effective, because the situation with the lifting of the embargo remains unresolved for 11 years.
Restrictions slow down the development and prosperity of the CAR. The CAR government realizes that the lifting of the embargo is important for the development of the country and the fight against poverty, and sees the plenary meeting as an opportunity to solve the problem with the embargo.