Zim army must leave mines
2009-07-05 15:24
Special Report
A classical music presenter for the BBC has been arrested and is in custody in Zimbabwe.
Harare - The Kimberley Process (KP), the international watchdog body fighting trade in "conflict diamonds”, has urged the government of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe "to immediately withdraw” troops from a controversial diamond field where soldiers are alleged to have slaughtered 200 illegal diggers, according to the state media on Sunday.
However, the government rebuffed the organisation, 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 demilitarisation" of the fields which cover about 66 000ha.
"There cannot be effective security where diamonds are concerned with the involvement of the military", the report said.
'Remove soldiers'
However, mines minister Obert Mpofu was quoted as telling a news 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 news conference where KP's report was presented.
Government press and 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".
Illegal miners
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.
The international rights group Human Rights Watch recently issued a detailed report which said the army had 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.
Murdered
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 organisation said, about 200 people were massacred.
Deputy minister Zwizwa said days ago that 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.
- Sapa-DPA