CÔTE D'IVOIRE:Major world traders in cocoa and chocolate have been accused of "contributing significantly" to the finances of warring factions in the African state of Côte d'Ivoire.
Investigative campaign group Global Witness says there is a "high chance" chocolate bars sold in Europe and the US contain cocoa from the conflict zone and that some such products may have indirectly funded a five-year war that left thousands of civilians dead.
The claims are made in a report published today by Global Witness, a group whose previous work includes groundbreaking research on the distribution of "blood diamonds" internationally.
Having successfully helped to persuade the diamond trade to start clamping down on rogue practices, the group said it was the turn of the chocolate industry to "clean up its act".
Global Witness director Patrick Alley said confectionery companies should ensure that they only sell "conflict-free chocolate".
"Companies should audit their supply chain to avoid buying cocoa which may contribute to financing conflict and corruption.
"Strong systems should be put in place to ensure that chocolate can never contribute to conflict again."
The report, which was part-funded by a grant from Irish Aid, the overseas development wing of the Department of Foreign Affairs, says more than US$118 million (€87 million) from the cocoa trade played a major role in the Côte d'Ivoire civil war between September 2002 and March 2007. Some US$20 million (€15 million) of embezzled cocoa money was said to have been diverted by Ivorian state institutions to the government for its war effort "at a time when some of the worst human rights violations by government forces were taking place". The rebel army Forces Nouvelles also raised about US$30 million (€22 million) a year by taxing cocoa transiting through the north of the country. This enabled the group "to survive as a movement" and also allowed individuals to enrich themselves to the detriment of the population, said the report, Hot Chocolate: how cocoa fuelled the conflict in Côte d'Ivoire.
The West African country is the world's biggest cocoa producer, providing 40 per cent of global supplies.
"As Ivorian cocoa accounts for such a large share of world production and is included in numerous blends, it is likely to be used, in some proportion, in many different products sold to consumers around the world," the report says. While it was unable to trace any brands with certainty, it said a representative of a Swiss company that traded in Ivorian cocoa told Global Witness that it supplied chocolate to Unilever, including chocolate for its popular Magnum ice cream brand.
Unilever declined to comment to The Irish Times on the matter yesterday.