Investigation into Zimbabwe's conflict diamonds launched
HARARE – The Kimberly Process, an international diamond certification body set up to curb trade in conflict diamonds, has launched an investigation into reports that President Robert Mugabe's previous administration committed atrocities during a clampdown on illegal miners last year.
The review mission led by Liberian deputy minister of planning and development, Mr Kpandel Fayia on Wednesday visited the Chiadzwa diamond fields in the eastern parts if the country where human rights groups claim more than 50 panners were shot dead by soldiers.
The government sealed off the area after dealers from all over the world descended on the area in search of the precious stones.
Human rights groups estimate that 5,000 people were arrested by soldiers and most of them were severely tortured.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has called for an investigation into the reports of human rights violations, while the United States based Human Rights Watch is calling for a ban on Zimbabwean diamonds.
"There were apprehensions that we were not going to be allowed to enter the mine or to talk with people, Mr Fayia told the state owned Herald newspaper after the tour.
We will do our report and it will reflect the ingredients we got here.
The paper said the team interviewed villagers in the area and searched for the alleged mass graves before touring the Zimbabwe Mining Development Cooperation, which is mining diamonds in the area on behalf of government.
The mission will also visit other privately owned diamond mines in Zimbabwe to ascertain if their production processes were not open to abuse.
Human Rights Watch released a damning report titled, "Diamonds in the Rough: Human Rights Abuses in the Marange Diamond Fields of Zimbabwe, which details how Zanu PF militias seized control of the diamond fields last year, killing miners.
The group said military controlled syndicates had taken over the area using forced labour and smuggling diamonds out of the country using the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to fund Zanu PF activities.
Meanwhile, the MDC has distanced itself from one of its ministers who tried to deny that there were human rights violations at the diamond fields.
Mines and Mining Development minister, Mr Murisi Zwizai who is a member of the MDC told a meeting of the Kimberly Process in Namibia that the allegations were unfounded.
Contrary to allegations in the media, nobody was killed by security forced during an operation at Marange, where about 30 000 people descended onto the alluvial mining field, he told the conference.
These people comprised of cunning, die hard illegal diamond diggers. This compelled government to conduct a special operation to flush out the illegal diamond miners and to bring order and sanity to the area.
But the MDC in statement said Mr Zwizai's remarks were premature as there was a need to carry out a proper investigation.
We view the remarks as premature and inaccurate in the absence of an investigation into the murky dealings in the Chiadzwa diamond fields where a lot of things happened out of the public eye, the party said.
Hon Zwizwai's claims are therefore fact hostile and evidence free.
Economists say if properly mined the diamonds can adequately finance Zimbabwe's economic reconstruction.
The country, which is emerging from a decade of political and economic turmoil, has sent a begging bowl to the international community for US$8 billion in the next three years to fund the reconstruction.
- By KITSEPILE NYATHI | Daily Nation