Blood Diamonds in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe is again making the news for less-than-favorable reasons. The Kimberley Process watchdog, which aims to end the trade of "blood diamonds," has failed to reach consensus on whether to allow Zimbabwe to trade the diamonds being mined in its Marange Fields.

Last year the Kimberly Process documented brutal abuses of workers in the mine by Zimbabwe's military. There are complaints of forced labor, including children as young as 11 being forced to work. Some 200 miners have allegedly been killed and others are being tortured.

De Beers executive director, Jonathan Oppenheimer, has an interesting quote in the article below where he says that Zimbabwe has no "overt conflict" and has a "legitimate government."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jHbL3wTC_ziyJvX1mIyTeu4nfRaA

I imagine the distinction he's trying to make is that the sale of diamonds from Zimbabwe might not actually be fueling a war. The Kimberly Process is a joint initiative by governments, industry and civil society to stem the flow of conflict diamonds - "rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments."(http://www.kimberleyprocess.com/)

If I'm understanding correctly then, child labor may be used, people may be forced to work the mines and may be abused while there, and hundreds of people may be murdered in the mines. The fact that this alleged abuse and slaughter is done by the country's military and not by a rebel movement means that, as far as the Kimberly Process is concerned, Zimbabwe could be in the clear. So if the government initiates or turns a blind eye to the torture and murder of people, that's OK. If it's done in concert with the government, rather than against it, everything's cool.

The other interesting thing about this statement is that Zimbabwe's government might be considered a legitimate government. The definition used by the Kimberley Process of a legitimate government is one that would be described as such "in relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions insofar as they remain in effect, or in other similar UNSC resolutions which may be adopted in the future, and as understood and recognized in United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 55/56, or in other similar UNGA resolutions which may be adopted in the future." Whew!

Zimbabwe has a power-sharing government and half of that government was legitimately elected by the people. However, that "half," Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, has no control over the military, security or police. He's the figurehead that Western governments like, but don't trust, thanks to the uneasy feeling that Mugabe is still the one actually in control. So this is the government that is considered legitimate. No one is torturing or killing in the mines in an effort to oust this "legitimate government." They would likely be killed themselves if they tried!

So now the Kimberly Process is faced with a case in which blood is being shed on the diamonds, but not in a way that contradicts their definition of a conflict-free diamond. Thus they are at an impasse. Meetings resume in Saint Petersburg, Russia in mid-July.

Meanwhile Zimbabwe's government has accused the West of trying to stifle its economic development. They plan to sell their diamond stockpiles regardless of the decision made by the Kimberley Process. They have arrested a human rights activist for "peddling falsehoods" about the mine, and a judge has denied him bail.

The World Cup

I'm enjoying the World Cup coverage. Having spent some time in South Africa, I'm especially enjoying the locale.

It seems everywhere I travel, from South America to various countries in Africa, there are always pick-up games of football/soccer. Sometimes the balls are makeshift, usually the goals are.

One of the most interesting places I saw a pick-up game was in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia. Rurre is a small town in the Bolivian rainforest. My time in the rainforest was already eventful, as I saw capybara ("Rodents of Unusual Size," the largest in the world), had to run through the rainforest to escape the storm (falling branches and poisonous bugs added to the drama), and tracked wild boar (it was only later that I read about how vicious they can be! Naive? Perhaps).

I had read in the guide book that you should always schedule a couple of extra days in Rurre, because you never knew if you were going to get out. The runways at the time were unpaved, and if it rained too much, planes were not allowed to land. Being that Rurre is in the middle of the rainforest, it rained a lot. Most flights were cancelled and visitors could spend days waiting to depart.

The day of my flight arrived and I got bumped from one flight after another. The crowds around the one room airport were restless to say the least. Finally a select few, myself included, were taken by bus to the runway. Here the wait continued, potential passengers fretting over their missed connections.

And then...the workers moved the cones, pulled out a basketball, and an impromptu game of soccer started up, right in the middle of the runway! A pig wandered out of trees in the distance. A motorcycle stood at the ready to clear out any wildlife (it drives the runway before planes arrive to keep it free of animals). And the game continued until the plane was about to arrive, the cones were put back and we were rushed onto the plane that raced away ahead of the impending storm.