Editor’s Note
This article is based on an investigation by the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) consortium, alleging that the Wagner Group uses a front company in the Central African Republic to trade “blood diamonds” internationally, including within Europe.
According to a journalistic investigation published this Friday by the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) consortium, the Russian mercenary army Wagner trades “blood diamonds” worldwide through a company in the Central African Republic, including in Europe.
Several individuals linked to the Russian private military company established a diamond export office in 2019 in the Central African Republic. Officially, its activity volume is very modest, but according to several sector actors consulted by the EIC consortium, it is in reality “a system of expanding predation,” as reported by the French-language newspaper “Le Soir,” which, together with the Flemish newspaper “De Standaard,” published this investigation in Belgium.
The investigation establishes that Diamville, a discreet import-export company in Central Africa, is a branch of the Wagner group, led by Russian businessman Evgeny Prigozhin, who is close to Vladimir Putin and is considered the unofficial armed arm of the Kremlin abroad.
Most diamond sales are believed to have been conducted online, through the Facebook page “Lanadiamanter.” However, official figures on Diamville reveal that while the majority of officially sold diamonds went to Dubai, some were also destined for Europe.
In October 2019, according to official export figures established by the Central African government, the Wagner-linked company exported 296 carats to Antwerp (Belgium), a city known for its diamond-related businesses.
All inquiries conducted by the consortium of European media, both into the connections of those responsible for Diamville and Lanadiamanter and with sources from the sector who work or have worked in the Central African Republic in recent years, confirm the link of both to the Wagner group.
The Facebook page “Lanadiamanter” does not specify the origin of the products offered for sale.
The Kimberley Process, an international agreement between states, diamond professionals, and civil society organizations established in 2003 to combat the trade of so-called “conflict minerals,” lists the eight sub-prefectures of the Central African Republic where diamonds are supposed to be exploitable without the risk of helping to finance war.
The sources consulted by the research consortium assert that Diamville operates in areas not authorized by the Kimberley Process and most of the time “through practices outside the law.”
The ban on imports of Russian diamonds is still not part of the sanctions adopted by the European Union against Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Since December 2021, the private military company Wagner has been included on another European sanctions list due to “serious violations and abuses in the field of human rights” committed by its employees, including in the Central African Republic. Therefore, since that date, it is prohibited for European companies and individuals to do business with Wagner.
Last October, the Western powers of the UN Security Council, led by the United States, accused Russia of using mercenaries to exploit natural resources in African countries, something Moscow denied.
Many Western countries are increasingly concerned about the actions of the Wagner Group, which is present in several African countries by virtue of agreements signed with their governments.
