Conflict diamonds are to be used to fund a new campaign of violence by President Robert Mugabe's regime against his political opponents in Zimbabwe as elections loom.
Environmental experts are blaming the "utter failure" of the Kimberley Process, set up in 2003 to monitor conflict diamonds and stop them reaching mainstream outlets, for allowing Mugabe and his allies to siphon off millions of dollars in profits from Zimbabwean diamonds, which have now gone on sale.
There has been consistent criticism of the Kimberley Process since the decision to lift a ban on the sale of the gems from the newly discovered Marange fields in Zimbabwe, despite evidence of human rights abuses and killings by Mugabe's soldiers. Human Rights Watch claimed the decision "betrayed the trust" of miners, consumers and retailers.
This weekend, Anjin Investments, a Chinese-led venture in Zimbabwe in partnership with Mugabe's government, announced it was now the world's biggest diamond producer, with a stockpile of three million carats to sell. The company, which thanked the Kimberley Process for its backing, is funding a new military college in the country. Full story...
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Environmental experts are blaming the "utter failure" of the Kimberley Process, set up in 2003 to monitor conflict diamonds and stop them reaching mainstream outlets, for allowing Mugabe and his allies to siphon off millions of dollars in profits from Zimbabwean diamonds, which have now gone on sale.
There has been consistent criticism of the Kimberley Process since the decision to lift a ban on the sale of the gems from the newly discovered Marange fields in Zimbabwe, despite evidence of human rights abuses and killings by Mugabe's soldiers. Human Rights Watch claimed the decision "betrayed the trust" of miners, consumers and retailers.
This weekend, Anjin Investments, a Chinese-led venture in Zimbabwe in partnership with Mugabe's government, announced it was now the world's biggest diamond producer, with a stockpile of three million carats to sell. The company, which thanked the Kimberley Process for its backing, is funding a new military college in the country. Full story...
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