Kimberley Process: Zimbabwe army must get out of diamond field now

Jul 5, 2009, 12:00 GMT

Harare - The Kimberley Process (KP), the international watchdog body fighting trade in 'conflict diamonds,' has urged the government of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe 'immediately' to withdraw troops from a controversial diamond field where soldiers are alleged to have slaughtered 200 illegal diggers, according to the state media Sunday.

However, the government rebuffed the organization, saying that the withdrawal would be carried out only 'in phases.'

The appeal was made on Saturday as a delegation of KP experts was about to leave the country after a week-long tour to investigate reports that Zimbabwean authorities had carried out gross human rights abuses in trying to seal off the Chiadzwa diamond field in eastern Zimbabwe so that senior officials of Mugabe's ZANU(PF) party could help themselves to the diamonds.

The government-controlled Sunday Mail quoted from an interim report issued by the KP delegation as calling for the 'immediate demilitarization' of the fields which cover some 66,000 hectares.

'There cannot be effective security where diamonds are concerned with the involvement of the military,' the report said.

However, mines minister Obert Mpofu was quoted as telling a press conference that the government was 'going to work towards getting in line with the standards proposed.' His deputy, Murisi Zwizwai, was quoted as saying that 'we agreed to remove soldiers but it will be done in phases while proper security settings would be put in place.'

Only the state media were allowed at the press conference where KP's report was presented. Government press, radio and television stations say there is an international campaign of 'falsehoods' to denigrate the government.

The report was quoted as saying that KP urged 'immediate, positive steps in the coming two to three weeks that would indicate a commitment to compliance by Zimbabwe.' In addition to the withdrawal of the military, said the Sunday Mail, the report also pressed for stricter border controls to prevent smuggling.

The government seized the Chiadzwa diamond field from British- based Africa Resources Limited and thousands of illegal miners poured into the area. Last week international rights group Human Rights Watch issued a detailed report which said the army had then taken control of the diggers and forced them to unearth diamonds for them. The stones were in turn diverted to the country's central bank, widely regarded as a slush fund establishment for top government officials.

Human Rights Watch confirmed continuous reports from the area that civilian diggers had been murdered, tortured and assaulted by soldiers. In October and November, the organization said, about 200 people were massacred.

Deputy minister Zwizwai last week said there had been 'no killings' in Chiadzwa, but was immediately contradicted by his own party, the Movement for Democratic Change which has been in coalition with ZANU(PF) for nearly five months. The MDC said the deputy's remarks were 'unfortunate, premature and inaccurate' without any independent investigation having been carried out, and called for a parliamentary inquiry.