This report is part of a pan-African research project called Grassroots research on local diamond mining impact which was run in eight countries by ten African member organisations from the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition.
In Cameroon, the Réseau de Lutte contre la Faim (RELUFA) carried out a mapping exercise to locate artisanal diamond mining sites in Eastern Cameroon , understand which actors frequent and monitor them and, study the socio-economic and environmental characteristics of the diamond production and trade.
The study highlights that diamond production in the region is both low and very difficult to trace. Indeed, research results show that 50% of operators do not record their production, 85% of the mining sites visited do not have an Artisanal Exploitation Authorisation (AEA) and the that production is bought by informal actors in 95% of the sites. Increased formalisation and monitoring of mining sites are therefore identified as key to improve traceability and ensure that artisanal miners and the Cameroonian population as a whole, benefit from the diamond production.
This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union to the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition. The content of this document is the sole responsibility of the author and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.
