Harare — Zimbabwe could be banned from the world diamond market if a report on human rights violations at one of the country's notorious diamond fields is considered.
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is scheduled to meet in Namibia from Monday to Thursday, where it will consider a final report by a review mission recommending a total ban on Zimbabwe's diamonds.
The mission led by Liberian Deputy Planning and Development minister, Kpandel Fayia, had in an interim report in July called on the Zimbabwean government, to immediately demilitarise the Marange diamond fields, saying the security forces were involved in human rights violations.
But the final report to be tabled at the Namibian meeting recommends a temporary ban of six months or more to allow the troubled country to comply with KPCS standards. It says should the country opt to "self suspend" the KP "should undertake necessary processes to implement the self suspension" because Zimbabwe cannot be trusted to implement recommendations without supervision.
"The Participation Committee should consider suspension of Zimbabwe for a period of at least six months or until such a time KPCS determines that minimum requirements have been met," the review mission said to the KPCS and the World Diamond Council.
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"If Zimbabwe opts to self suspend then the KP should undertake the necessary processes to implement the self suspension, " said the mission.
President Mugabe's previous administration seized the Marange diamond claims from the British based African Consolidated Resources Plc (ACR) in 2006 and allocated them to the state owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation. This opened the floodgates for illegal diamond miners and dealers from all over the world giving rise to smuggling.
The Zimbabwean government reacted by deploying armed soldiers and police who were accused of engaging in gross human rights violations as they forced the illegal miners to fill gulleys with their bare hands.
Mr Fayia's team said villagers and community leaders recounted harrowing tales of atrocities on the diamond fields on the eastern parts of the country. "The victims included women who reported that while under the custody of the security forces, they were raped repeatedly by military officers and that they have been forced to engage in sex with diamond miners," the mission says in its final report.
"One victim told the team that she tested HIV positive after she had been forced to have sex with two men and then raped by a military officer, " the mission said.
A High Court judge also ruled in September that the diamond claims belong to ACR but the government has refused to remove the soldiers and says it has identified two investors to mine the precious stones.
The US based Human Rights Watch on Thursday urged the Namibian meeting to take a tough stance against Zimbabwe because the country had ignored the July recommendations by the KPCS.
"Human Rights Watch researchers carried out follow-up investigations from October 12 to 23, establishing that elements of the Zimbabwean Defence Forces have consolidated their presence in the diamond fields and that they are abusing members of the local community and engaging in widespread diamond smuggling," the watchdog said in a statement.
On Friday, Mines and Development Minister Obert Mpofu said they would deal with concerns raised by the review mission and Human Rights Watch at the meeting in Namibia.
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