DRC: Group Seeks Tighter Leash on Diamond Trade

The international community should help the new government in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) tighten its surveillance of the diamond mining industry to lift the poor nation out of corruption and conflict, long associated with trade in the precious gem, a rights group said. Global Witness, the London-based non-governmental organisation that monitors industry-related corruption, said in a new report that regulations over mining and trade in rough diamonds passed by the transitional government in Kinshasa were woefully inadequate.