(Rapaport…August 3, 2004) The Democratic Republic of Congo has decided to set up three branch offices of the Centre for Evaluation, Expert analysis and Certification (CEEC) in Goma, Bukavu and Kisangani in the eastern part of the country — all formerly rebel-held areas — to combat the trade in conflict diamonds, a spokesman told the AFP on August 3. The CEEC was set up in 2003 to assay and certify precious and semi-precious minerals exported from the country.
Eugene Diomi Ndongala, the country’s minister for mines, estimated recently that the Congolese treasury loses around $450 million a year because of diamond smuggling. He cited Kisangani in the eastern part of the country and Brazzaville in the neighboring Republic of Congo as two major centers for the trade in illicit diamonds.