The nonprofit group, Global Witness, has accused a number of European and Chinese logging companies
of funding conflict in the Central African Republic.
The group notes that in the last few years, sales of timber have overtaken diamonds as
the CAR’s primary export.
The lucrative sale of timber has contributed to destabilization and violence in the region.
So what’s going on in the CAR?
Is “blood timber” the new “blood diamonds”?
Well, the Central African Republic is located in the middle of Africa, just above the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.
It is considered one of the least developed and poorest nations in the world.
This is due to a number of civil wars, government coups, and ethnic cleansing throughout the
past century.
On the Human Development Index of 2014, the CAR is ranked 185th out of 187 countries.
For years, fighting rebel groups have been funded by the sale of diamonds, colloquially
called “blood diamonds”.
This name is attributed to diamonds sold in war zones, and used to finance armed conflict.
In 2000, the United Nations banned the purchase of diamonds originating from the CAR, and
in the past two years, sales of similarly named, “blood timber” has surpassed the
CAR’s diamond exports.
The two main rebels groups in the CAR are the Muslim Seleka Rebels and the Christian
anti-balaka vigilante forces.
The Seleka is a coalition of anti-government factions, which grew out of the civil wars
in the 1990s.
The “anti-balaka” group was originally created to defend villages against the Seleka,
and are somewhat of a smaller rebel group.
Both have been responsible for wanton violence, and thousands of deaths, including women,
children and the elderly.
In the 1990s and 2000s, France, the African Union and the United Nations sent thousands
of peacekeeping troops to stave off violence.
Unfortunately, according to the UN, rebel groups control much of the nation’s logging
industry.
Since the timber produced funds rebel groups, it’s sale is outlawed by the EU’s 2013
Timber Regulation law.
Still, a number of European companies like the IFB in France, SEFCA in Lebanon, and Vicwood
in China, are being investigated for purchasing this illegal conflict timber.
The Global Witness alleges that the Seleka Rebels and anti-balaka forces have received
millions of dollars from “blood timber” sales.
Despite the UN noting the existence of “conflict timber” back in 2001, there have been few
attempts to crackdown on countries that import CAR timber.
The Global Witness report suggests that this is because of the logging industry’s critical
role in the CAR’s struggling economy.
The rebel groups currently have a strong hold over the entire nation, and their proliferation
must be addressed before any further economic development can be sustained.
Timber might be funding CAR, but the rest of Africa is going through an oil revolution.
To find out more, check out this video.
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