Saturday, June 27, 2009

Zimbabwe’s Diamond Fields Enrich Ruling Party, Report Says

Miners in the Marange diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe in 2006, the year the fields were discovered. The New York Times

From The New York Times:

JOHANNESBURG — Zimbabwe’s military, controlled by President Robert Mugabe’s political party, violently took over diamond fields in Zimbabwe last year and has used the illicit revenues to buy the loyalty of restive soldiers and enrich party leaders, Human Rights Watch charged in a report released Friday.

The party, ZANU-PF, has used the money from diamonds — smuggled out of the country or illegally sold through the Reserve Bank — to reinforce its hold over the security forces, which seemed to be slipping last year as the value of soldiers’ pay collapsed with soaring inflation, Human Rights Watch researchers said.

Read more ....

More News On Zimbabwe's Diamond Industry And Its Links To The Government/Military

Zimbabwe army 'runs diamond mine' -- BBC
Zimbabwe criticised over diamond field abuse -- Financial Times
Human Rights Watch Charges Massive Violations in Zimbabwe Diamond Zone -- Voice of America
Murders at Zimbabwe Diamond Mine Undercut Claims of Normalization -- FOX News
Rights group: Abuse in Zimbabwe diamond fields -- AP
Report: Kids forced to dig for diamonds -- UPI
Murder, torture, slavery… Mugabe mine hell -- Scotsman

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