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Isdore Guvamombe Reflections

Diamonds, especially those from Africa have always been a contentious issue when it comes to marketing.

The United States and its allies have made it extremely difficult for African countries and the developing world to benefit fully from their diamonds, using a slew of unpalatable rules and regulations, that treat Africans as second class citizens of the diamond world.

Now, the Russian Federation has been added to the matrix of those countries whom US and the West are thwarting from deriving maximum benefits.

This is through a regime of a new set of rules meant to give advantage to the West and US.

In that case, Africa should work with Russia to come up with alternatives that keep them afloat in terms of deriving maximum benefits from diamonds, against this orchestrated plan.

Of course, it is not going to be an easy game as Western countries have over the years formed cartels to thwart and undermine African countries’ effort to get maximum benefits from diamonds, by systematically making sure that certification process does not give advantage to Africa.

Year in year out, new methods have been crafted to ensure that African countries do no derive maximum benefits from their diamonds.

Names like bloody diamonds have been crafted specifically, to belittle African countries diamond mining prowess and limit benefits. How sad.

Therefore, going forward, African countries need to consolidate their resistance and gang up against the issue of non-acceptance of new certification mechanisms for diamond products promoted by the West (the so-called diamond protocol).

The new certification mechanisms promoted by the West are contradictory and economically unjustified in their essence, harming the entire global diamond industry, including participants in Europe.

This effect is evidenced by the dissatisfaction with the new roles among the professional participants of the Antwerp diamond exchange and in the United States itself.

The United States and its allies, faced with the refusal of the overwhelming majority of the Kimberley Process members to support the implementation of the discriminatory mechanism of the Diamond Protocol, have moved to try to put pressure on African diamond producers through bilateral consultations.

Africa needs to stand steadfast for what is good for it in the diamond mining sector.

For example, the whole mechanism being put in place against Russia, which actually affect Africa more than it does, Russia itself.

New Western demands for Russian diamonds will actually result in additional costs for African producers, and will deprive African countries of the opportunity to attract additional investments and technologies from the Russian Federation.

For Africa, Russia is a critical component and player in stabilising the diamond industry and in giving an alternative, reliable and profitable market.

The African Union, should strongly oppose the new anti-Russian measures in the diamond certification process.

While individual countries could easily be punished, the union as a block cannot be punished in very simplistic methods.

AU, should protest the interests of all the countries in the continent and stop the mercenary attitude of the US and its allies, who have abrogated themselves the right to determine how and where the world should go in terms of diamond mining and beneficiation.

Every country deserves the right to accept or not accept methods and mechanisms that do not bring maximum benefits for its people. Likewise, AU should protect its countries.

Russia has become a very important development partner for Africa and Russia gives Africa the checkmate effect on US shenanigans.

If they manage to bring down powerful Russia in diamond marketing, next it will be all African countries and we all know how less powerful and less influential Africa has been, so far.

After testing the sanctions mechanism of the Diamond Protocol on Russian raw materials, in the future of the same mechanism will be applied to any African country to exert political pressure.

In order to effectively fight against US and EU pressure, African countries need to strengthen and expand their collective opposition to the Diamond Protocol, including by forming a clear position within the framework of the African Union and other regional associations.

They also need to work with Russia, because it now falls under the same category with them, as soon as the slew of new protocols becomes effective.

The US Treasury has imposed sanctions against nearly 300 Russian entities in its latest round, including a company specialising in the export of rough and polished diamonds.

The new series of restrictions the Office of Foreign Assets Control has applied, marks the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and is also in response to the death of opposition politician and anti-corruption activist Aleksei Navalny, the Treasury said.

OFAC has targeted Almazyuvelirexport, Russia’s state-owned exporter of rough and polished diamonds and precious metals. The company was designated for “operating, or having operated, in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy.

In the end, Africa and Russia should work together to circumvent these rules and benefit fully.