It was alleged that the Russian military company Wagner was exporting from the Central African Republic to Belgium, known as the center of the diamond market, through front companies.

According to the Belgian newspaper De Standaard, Wagner established a front company called “Diamville” in the Central African Republic in 2019.

The fact that Diamville is Wagner’s front has been confirmed by 5 diamond industry sources in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic.

In November 2019, Diamville brought €132,000 worth of diamonds to Belgium.

Diamville was similarly founded on the same day as “Bois Rouge”, another Central African Republic-based timber exporting company suspected of acting as another front for Wagner.

The World Diamond Center (AWDC) in Antwerp, Belgium, known as the center of the diamond market, denied allegations that the diamonds were purchased directly or indirectly from Wagner.

The European Union placed Wagner on the sanctions list on December 13, 2021 for “involving serious human rights violations, including torture, summary or arbitrary execution, and murder.”

In the resolution, the Group “recruits, trains, and conscripts special military agents to incite violence, loot natural resources, and intimidate civilians in violation of international law, including international human rights law,” in some countries where operates, including Libya, Syria, Ukraine, the Central African Republic, and the United States and to conflict zones around the world.” (AA)