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Mugabe 'won't sign constitution'

Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe won't sign the draft constitution into the new supreme law of the country as long as it "disqualifies him from contesting the next elections", a senior Zanu-PF official says.

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Suspend Zim diamonds - HRW

2009-10-29 21:22

Special Report

Lights out threatens in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's energy minister has warned the country risks losing electricity imports from its major supplier if it fails to pay a $90m debt to Mozambique's Hydro Cahora Bassa dam.

War vets battle dispair

A dusty road leads to the village of Wedza, where veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation war eke out a meagre living on their farm cooperative, which after a promising start now brings only despair.

Johannesburg - Human Rights Watch on Thursday urged the Kimberley Process, the global diamond trade monitor, to suspend Zimbabwe because of abuses and smuggling in its Marange diamond fields.

Investigators from the Kimberley Process visited Zimbabwe in July and recommended the suspension of sales of Marange diamonds, citing "horrific" violence against civilians by the army.

"The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme... should immediately suspend Zimbabwe," the US-based rights group said.

"Zimbabwe has had more than enough time to put a halt to the human rights abuses and smuggling at Marange," said Georgette Gagnon, Human Rights Watch for Africa.

"Instead, it has sent more troops to the area, apparently trying to put a halt to independent access and scrutiny," the organisation said in a statement.

Mainstream market

The rights body has recently concluded its own investigation in Marange, which found the army uses syndicates of local miners to extract diamonds, often with forced labour, including children.

It also found that smuggling of Marange diamonds had intensified, with buyers and middlemen openly trading the gems in the small Mozambique town of Vila de Manica, 30 kilometres from Mutare.

The Kimberley Process was launched in 2003 to curb the flow of conflict diamonds into the mainstream market, following wars in countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone.

- AFP

Read more on: human rights watch | zimbabwe | southern africa | diamonds

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Tuesday 17-24°C

Suspend Zim diamonds - HRW

Special Report

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