Editor’s Note
This article highlights the persistent challenge of formalizing artisanal diamond mining in eastern Cameroon. While annual production is significant, integrating it into the legal trade remains difficult, underscoring ongoing governance and economic hurdles in the region.
According to Daniel Mackaire Eloung Nna, the Permanent Secretary of the National Secretariat for Monitoring the Kimberley Process, artisanal miners operating along the border between Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR) in eastern Cameroon produce approximately 5,000 carats of diamonds each year.
However, mining sector experts point out that despite measures taken by public authorities, this production is difficult to channel into formal circuits. This is due not only to porous borders but also to traffickers who scour the mining fields of both countries and supply informal marketing channels.
This diamond exploitation along the border has often led to Cameroon being accused of serving as a transit hub for trafficking precious stones from the CAR, a major diamond-producing country.
For example, in a report published on December 2, 2016, on the eve of a Kimberley Process assessment mission to Cameroon, the Partnership Africa Canada (PAC), a funding mechanism supported by Canadian and African NGOs, revealed that:
These accusations were immediately refuted by the Cameroonian side, which subsequently authorized an on-site investigation mission by Kimberley Process experts. The Kimberley Process is an international mechanism designed to trace diamonds traded worldwide to prevent these precious stones from financing armed conflicts.
