Nation Is Barred From World Diamond Trade
A U.N.-backed body barred the Republic of Congo from the legitimate world diamond trade, accusing it of blatantly sending millions of dollars in smuggled gems onto the global market.
Suspending the West African country was “necessary to safeguard the credibility and integrity” of international efforts to block black-market conflict diamonds, the Kimberly Process announced on its website.
The Republic of Congo, which has little or no diamond production, has long stood accused of dealing in smuggled diamonds from the similarly named Congo and the Central African Republic.
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