A new report published by Europe-researchers based in France All Eyes mentioned that a group of Russian mercenaries are active in one of the poorest countries in Africa. This group, which has attracted international attention for its role in the war in Ukraine, is using violence and extortion to monopolize the extremely lucrative diamond industry.

The Wagner group is most infamous for its brutal tactics in eastern Ukraine. Indeed, individuals linked to this group have created, according to researchers from two groups, based in France, All Eyes on Wagner and the London-based Dossier Center, a shell company in the Central African Republic (RCA) sponsored by the Russian oligarch in exile Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and European Investigative Collaborations, a network of media organizations to secure and sell diamonds.

According to the report, fighters linked to the Wagner Group are forcing the country's impoverished miners and collectors to hand over their precious stones or sell them exclusively to the shell company, Diamville, and that the company trades in diamonds that violate the rules of the Kimberley Process, an international initiative that aims to emp& ecirc; to promote the marketing of diamonds from conflict zones.

Note that the fighters of the Wagner group have already been accused of participating in armed activities in the CAR and of exploiting the country's gold and diamond resources.