| |
Contributions from
the Column
Monitor
Bolivia split over government plans
Male circumcision reduces AIDS risk
German volunteers in developing countries
81 journalists killed in 2006
Debate on impact of Paris Declaration
Much remains unresolved in EPA talks
Trade in blood diamonds continues
US to boost the military attention it pays Africa
Fewer wars and cases of genocide
02/2007
|
|
Trade in blood diamonds continues
Whoever wants illegally traded diamonds can get them – for example in the Indian city of Surat, home to the world’s largest black market for gems. Despite an international embargo, diamonds continue to be smuggled out of crisis-ridden Côte d’Ivoire and brought onto the world market via Mali and Ghana, according to a recent UN report. Along with Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire is a member of the Kimberley Process, which was designed to stem the trade in “blood diamonds”. In order to avoid sanctions, Ghana’s government has pledged to monitor the diamond trade more closely in future. A UN team will investigate such efforts this month. Legal action against Mali is impossible because that country has not joined the Kimberley Process. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has extended the embargo against diamonds from Liberia by half a year. (ell)
|
