Kimberley Process Chair Warns of Illicit Diamond Mining in Ivory Cost

The Chairman of the Kimberley Process (KP) issued a warning to members on an “ongoing risk” posed by illicit diamonds mined in rebel-held territories in northern Ivory Coast, requesting “vigilance” by KP participants' customs and law enforcement authorities and the diamond industry at large.

KP Chair Vyacheslav Shtyrov sent an urgent notice to participants and observers on the situation in Cote d'Ivoire, in west Africa, alerting them that the government of Cote d'Ivoire informed him that despite a formal decision to ban all exports of rough diamonds there are “indications that diamond production was nonetheless continuing in the areas of Bobi-Seguela and Tortiya,” areas controlled by rebels.

Exports of rough diamonds from the country were banned by a ministerial order November 19, 2002. Participants in the process were asked to inform their customs officials not to accept any shipments of rough diamonds with Cote d'Ivoire KP certificates until further notice.

Last April, former KP Chair Tim Martin visited Abidjan and confirmed that the formal status of implementation of the Certification Scheme remains unchanged.

The latest information available from sources within the Kimberley Process indicates that there continues to be “significant production, both artisanal and semi-industrial in nature, in the areas of Bobi-Seguela and Tortiya.”

“The information available also indicates that this production is being smuggled out of Cote d'Ivoire, and there is a possibility that it could be mixed in with legitimate rough diamonds in the territory of one or more Kimberley Process Participants,” Shtyrov warns.

The Chairman is requesting KP members to ensure that diamonds from Cote d'Ivoire are not imported into their countries and to urgently inform him of any attempts to import or trade in rough diamonds originating from the country.