Leaders in the global diamond industry have lashed out at the Kimberly Process (KP) for allowing Zimbabwe’s blood diamonds to reach the consumer market. The diamond trade monitor has faced criticism for how they define ‘blood diamond’ and this very definition is what they hid behind when they decided not to ban Zimbabwe from international trade last year. There was wide support for a ban on diamonds coming from the Chiadzwa mine because of abuses. However the KP refused to ban them because there is no conflict currently in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe has instead been ordered to follow a set of guidelines approved by the Kimberly Process to attempt to bring the country back in line with international standards.
According to the Kimberly Process website, the monitoring group has outlined ways to achieve this. One effort is for the KP Working Group on Monitoring to work with the Statistics and Diamond Expert Groups to make a team of experts to investigate and gather information about statistical data and identify trade anomalies that could reflect illicit trade in Marange diamonds and the smuggling patterns.
Another recomendation is for KP participants to implement stronger measures targeting illicit trade of Marange diamonds.
Regional cooperation would also be enhanced to establish a first line of containment against illicit flows of Marange diamonds. KP participants are encouraged to support this effort through technical assistance programs.
The Kimberly Process has expressed concerns and urged authorities to put an end to the violence in Marange and bring the area under control.
Its hard to know what to feel about a situation such as this. The problem is not simple when it comes to Zimbabwe. A ruthless dictator who has been molded from the evils of colonization and personal tragedy will always be there to stand in the way of progress. At the same time, it seems that the Kimberly Process is just to show the international community that something is being done to stem the sale of conflict diamonds. Where is the accountability? As Mugabe has so eloquently stated, “We can sell our diamonds our own way”. Because of the alleged value of diamonds there is a wonderful black market waiting with open arms to pay top dollar for diamonds.
For more reading check out Part I of Conflict Diamonds and the Kimberly Process and Does the Blood Diamond Scheme Really Work?
