Zimbabwean Diamonds on Sale

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By Tayo Adelaja

Published: August 21, 2010

Zimbabwean Diamonds on Sale

 

By Tayo Adelaja

The first public sale of diamonds from Zimbabwe’s controversial Marange fields was held on Wednesday at Harare airport. The body that regulates the global diamond trade, the Kimberley Process, said that approximately 900,000 carats of rough diamonds were valued at around 72 million US dollars during the auction. Zimbabwe lost its license to sell diamonds last November over alleged human rights abuses committed by army troops that run the Marange fields, but in July the Kimberley Process allowed it to resume limited exports.  Our source in Harare disclosed that members of Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Zanu-PF parties have been rowing over how the revenue from the auction should be used.

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