A new agreement allowing Zimbabwe to sell its controversial diamonds has been met with caution by rights groups who have documented violations and killings in the country’s diamond mines.
Global Witness and Partnership Africa Canada said in a Friday statement they welcome the agreement’s condition that Zimbabwe make “measurable improvements” in its diamond-mining practices if it wants to sell more than the two batches allowed by Thursday’s agreement, but rights groups called for more controls in the months ahead.
They said the deal averted a crisis over international sales of Zimbabwean diamonds, but the “biggest test” of the credibility of the agreement still lay ahead.
“The ball is now in Zimbabwe’s court to make good on its promises and act to end one of the most egregious cases of diamond-related violence for many years,” Annie Dunnebacke of Global Witness said.
A last-minute deal at a meeting of the Kimberley Process certification scheme in Russia authorized Zimbabwe to sell two batches of diamonds under strict monitoring and regulation through Sept. 1.
Dunnebacke said violations and disputes over Zimbabwe had battered the integrity of the Kimberley certification scheme, which comprises 75 national, industry and lobby groups.
“Ultimately, the success or otherwise of this agreement will be determined by what the main players do next. We fervently hope that the governments in the Kimberley Process will, for their part, hold Zimbabwe to its commitments,” she said.
Nadim Kara, of Partnership Africa Canada, described the agreement as “far from perfect.”
“The crisis in Zimbabwe’s diamond sector should act as a wake-up call to governments and the diamond industry ... The system needs urgent and far-reaching reform at a time when consumers are demanding action on blood diamonds,” Kara said.
Mining experts estimate that Zimbabwe’s diamond fields, sealed off by police and troops in the districts of Marange and Chiadzwa near the eastern city of Mutare after a diamond rush began in 2006, are likely the biggest deposits found in Africa since the Kimberley fields were discovered in neighboring South Africa a century ago.
The mines ministry says it already has about US$1.7 billion of diamonds in storage ready to be sold. Zimbabwe’s total international debt is estimated at about US$5.5 billion.
The mines ministry, controlled by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s party in coalition with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader, denies wrongdoing and accuses human rights groups of “peddling falsehoods” over rights violations and top level corruption by politicians, police and military chiefs.
Zimbabwean Finance Minister Tendai Biti reported in a budget review statement on Wednesday at least US$30 million in recent diamond sales was known to have gone missing and did not end up in state coffers.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
RSS