Harare — THE Kimberley Process says there is no proof of alleged human rights violations at the Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe and is today sending a team to assess the matter, the chairperson of the scheme, Mr Bernard Esau told reporters in Namibian capital -- Windhoek on Friday.
"We have no proof of alleged human rights violations at the Marange diamond fields, but we took note of a report by the international organisation -- Human Rights Watch," Mr Esau said after a three-day meeting of the KP.
The KP is a global scheme to prevent diamonds from financing armed conflicts. "We had frank and open discussions about Zimbabwe and this compliance with the Kimberley Process, Zimbabwe is still high on our agenda," he said.
The announcement came as US based Human Rights Watch on Friday accused Zimbabwe's armed forces of using torture and forced labour to control the eastern Marange diamond fields.
The KP team that leaves on Monday will meet government ministers, central bank officials, top police officers and travel to Marange and the nearby town of Mutare.
A new 62-page Human Rights Watch report on Friday said more than 200 people were killed by Zimbabwe's army in a takeover of the Marange fields last year, and that forced labour, torture and beatings by the military had continued.
On Wednesday during the conference in Namibia, Zimbabwe's Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development Murisi Zwizwai denied any killings by security forces in Marange.
Zimbabwe's mining ministry on Friday stood by Deputy Minister Zwizwai's statement and disputed the fresh allegations.
The three-day Kimberley Process meeting also discussed options for further action to end smuggling of conflict gems in Ivory Coast, where gem production in Ivory Coast was increasing despite a UN ban on their export.
"The satellite images provided by the UN group show that rough diamond production is going on and increasing, and this was indicated by ground observations of the KP working group of diamond experts," Mr Esau said.
"We further discussed options for additional Kimberley Process action and constructive engagement to end the smuggling of conflict diamonds out of Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)," Mr Esau said
The UN Security Council last October extended a ban on Ivorian diamond exports as part of targeted sanctions meant to prod the west African nation towards holding free and fair elections.
A UN team in April found that Ivory Coast was still producing rough diamonds despite the ban, findings supported by a team of KP experts who also visited the country, Mr Esau told reporters. He said the Kimberley Process supported the creation of a regional task force to bring Ivory Coast into compliance with the ban.
