Johannesburg, South Africa – A team was sent to Zimbabwe last week to assess whether or not the country has maintained compliance with standards set to ease the effect of the diamond trade on creating conflict.  The group, sent on the mission under the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, included officials from Liberia, Namibia, and the US, as well as representatives from the diamond industry and human rights groups.  

Although the language of the Kimberley Process only classifies blood diamonds as diamonds directly used to fund a rebel uprising, certain offenses committed since the original document was written have shown that the definition needs to be broadened.  This includes countless acts of violence that had allegedly been carried out by the army of Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF.

In a confidential memo given to Zimbabwean officials, the team’s leader, A. Kpandel Fayia stated that he was so disturbed by some of the testimony given by victims that he had to leave the room.  Mr. Fayia, a Deputy Minister of Mining in Liberia, stated in the memo that, “Our team was able to interview…victims, observe their wounds, scars from dog bites and batons, tears, and ongoing psychological trauma.”  He went on to note that, “I am from Liberia, sir; I was in Liberia throughout the 15 years of civil war, and I have experienced too much senseless violence in my lifetime, especially connected to diamonds.”  The former President of Liberia, Charles Taylor, is currently on trial in The Hague for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  

Government officials adamantly deny any state-sponsored violence in the mining fields, but have said that they will try to comply with the requests of the Kimberley Process team before their final report is issued.  To most people involved, however, there is only one possible outcome: that Zimbabwe is suspended from the Kimberley Process.  The World Federation of Diamond Bourses has already recommended to its members in 20 countries that they not trade for diamonds from the Marange fields in eastern Zimbabwe.  Robert Mugabe maintains that it is not the fault of the government, but rather the “porous” border between Zimbabwe and Botswana.  Not coincidentally, this is one of the arguments given by Charles Taylor in reference to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Unfortunately, international laws have not deterred the Mugabe-led government from illegally trading in diamonds.  Sources have revealed that soldiers are encouraged to mine at the fields they are supposed to be protecting, giving the gems they find to government officials who can smuggle them out of the country. 

They also go to great lengths to cover up their offenses.  Prior to the arrival of the Kimberley Process team, a Member of Parliament was arrested on false kidnapping charges so he couldn’t be interviewed.  He intended to reveal the location of a mass grave into which 80 or so bodies were thrown following last winter’s Chiadzwa massacre.  One man who witnessed the killings begged not to be named in any of the team’s findings for fear of retribution by his own government. 

Mugabe, who is hostile to Western nations, does not like international, non-governmental bodies—such as the United Nations—to dictate what he should or should not do.  After meeting with Senior American Diplomat for Africa Johnnie Carson at the African Union Summit meeting in Libya, Mugabe lashed out in the state-run newspaper, stating that, “You have the likes of little fellows like Carson, you see, wanting to say, ‘You do this, you do that.’  Who is he?  I hope he was not speaking for Obama.  I told him he was a shame, a great shame, being an African-American.” 

For as long as the government prefers to work outside of international law, there is nothing that can be done to stop diamonds from leaving Zimbabwe.  Diamonds are easily smuggled, and there are always buyers willing to pay a lesser price, not caring how the diamond was mined.  Only a dramatic change of leadership and more drastic international sanctions will make a difference.

For now, however, at least the Kimberley Process is trying to catch up with the criminals, to the best of their ability.  

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