Diamond ‘Torture Camp’ Reported In Zimbabwe

Image: Beatings and rapes were reported in the diamond fields. The New York Times

Britain Urges Zimbabwe to Examine Diamond ‘Torture Camp’ Report -- New York Times

LONDON — Britain has urged the authorities in Zimbabwe to investigate a BBC report that its security forces are beating and raping prisoners at two camps in the Marange diamond fields in the east of the country. International monitors voted to allow exports from the fields to resume in June despite objections from the United States, Canada and the European Union.



On Monday, the BBC’s documentary program “Panorama” said the camps hold workers who were recruited by the police and the military to dig illegally for diamonds for them, but who then demand too large a share of the profits. The camps also hold civilians caught mining for themselves, the program said.



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More News On Zimbabwe's 'Torture' Diamond Camp

Marange diamond field: Zimbabwe torture camp discovered -- BBC

Zimbabwe running torture camps in diamond fields: BBC -- Reuters

Forced miners tortured at Zimbabwe's diamond fields -- AFP

Zimbabwe diamond torture camp alleged -- UPI

“Blood Diamonds”: “Torture Camps “Discovered in Zimbabwe -- IBTimes

EU asks Zim to probe diamond mine torture claims -- Mail & Guardian

Zimbabwe diamond torture camps report 'ridiculous': minister -- AFP

Marange diamonds: Zimbabwe denies 'torture camp' - -BBC

European Union to lift ban on Zimbabwe's 'blood diamonds' despite torture claims -- The Telegraph

Zimbabwe Agrees To Sell Uranium To Iran

Zimbabwe President Mugabe and Iranian President Ahmadinejad

Zimbabwe To Sell Uranium To Iran -- The Telegraph

Zimbabwe is to defy United Nations sanctions in a deal to sell uranium to Iran

Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Zimbabwe's foreign minister, said the sanctions – which prohibit member states from providing Iran with raw materials that it could use to make a nuclear weapon – were unfair and hypocritical.

He said that Zimbabwe, which is also the subject of sanctions over human rights abuses perpetrated by President Robert Mugabe's supporters, would benefit economically from the agreement.

A leaked intelligence report suggests Iran will be awarded with exclusive access to Zimbabwe's uranium in return for providing the country with fuel.

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More News On Zimbabwe's Decision To Sell Uranium To Iran

Mugabe to sell uranium to Iran -- The Telegraph
Zimbabwe to sell uranium to Iran in exchange for fuel -- Top News
Zimbabwe defies U.N. sanctions to sign uranium deal with Iran -- AHN
Iran, Zimbabwe to cooperate on uranium mining: Zimbabwean FM -- IBN Live
Zimbabwe Offers Raw Uranium to Iran -- Global Security Newswire
Zimbabwe: We will supply Iran with uranium for its nuclear program -- Haaretz
Iran Scrounges For Uranium -- Front Page

Violence Returns To Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and President Mugabe.
Photo from Foreign Policy

Pro-Mugabe Militias Blamed As Zimbabwe Violence Erupts -- The Guardian

Analysts regard escalating violence as a warning sign that president is gearing up for elections and fear repeat of 2008 polls.

Violence has surged in Zimbabwe with reports of mob attacks, death threats, politically motivated arrests and at least one shooting ahead of possible elections, civil rights groups claim.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) claims youth militias loyal to Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party are "running amok" in poor townships, and accuses the police of siding with the offenders.

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More News On Zimbabwe

Recriminations Between Zimbabwe Governing Parties as Violence Surges -- Voice of America
Tsvangirai accused of trying to incite uprising -- Irish Times
Zimbabwean PM accused of inciting uprisings -- The Independent/AP
Zimbabwe’s MDC Accuses Mugabe Supporters, Police of Attacks -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Harare Suburb Center of Political Violence -- Voice of America
Zimbabwe: Mugabe Opponents Beaten -- New York Times

Zimbabwe's Blood Diamond Trade Continues To Grow With Chinese Help

An illegal diamond dealer displays his goods for sale in Manica,
near the border with Zimbabwe Photo: Reuters

Diamonds Sharpen Zimbabwe Power Struggle -- The Telegraph

Zimbabwe’s generals are accumulating a secret slush fund from diamond sales, a campaign group claims.

Diplomats fear the vast mines put the army in a powerful position to dictate the terms of succession after the death of Robert Mugabe.

The warning comes days after Zimbabwe’s pro-democracy prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, appealed to lower ranked army and police not to participate in any coup against the constitutional order when Mr Mugabe, 86, finally dies.

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More News On Zimbabwe's Diamond Trade

Mugabe's darkest secret: An £800bn blood diamond mine he's running with China's Red Army -- The Daily Mail
Mugabe’s Chinese secret -- Pune Mirror
Diamonds Secretly Auctioned by Zimbabwe -- Diamond Price Guide
Zimbabwe holds another diamonds auction - in secret -- The Southern Times
Army to stay at Chiadzwa: Nyikayaramba -- The Zimbabwean
China's collusion with the predator elite at the Marange diamond fields -- The Zimbabwean

Blood Diamonds On Sale In Zimbabwe

Inspectors say diamonds from Zimbabwe should be
classed as 'blood diamonds' (in 2009). Photo: Reuters

Zimbabwe Gem Sale Stirs 'Blood Diamond' Fears -- NPR/AP

Zimbabwe auctioned 900,000 carats of rough gems Wednesday from a diamond field where human rights groups say soldiers killed 200 people, raped women and enslaved children.

It was the first public sale of diamonds from the notorious Marange field in eastern Zimbabwe since international regulators imposed a ban in November under rules designed to screen out conflict gems.

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More News On Zimbabwe's Diamond Sales

Africa Dispatch: Zimbabwe's Diamond 'Monitors' -- Wall Street Journal
Zimbabwe Brings Controversial Diamonds to Market Under Kimberly Supervision -- Voice of America
Zimbabwe: Rights Groups Say Gemsare Linked to Site of Horrific Violence -- New York Times
Diamond sale sets off row in Harare -- Financial Times
Zimbabwe resumes Marange diamond sales -- BBC
Diamond auction brings Zimbabwe £1.2bn pay day -- The Independent
Zimbabwe opens auctions after 'blood diamond' ban -- AFP
Zimbabwe Begins Selling Suspected Blood Diamonds -- Newsweek

Who Runs Zimbabwe?

Photo: Mr Bennett said Mr Mugabe was being forced to continue as president by his generals

'Military Junta' Rules Zimbabwe, Says MDC's Bennett -- BBC

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is little more than the front man for a military junta, a leading white politician has told the BBC.

Roy Bennett said Mr Mugabe remained in office thanks only to a clique of generals who are enriching themselves.

Mr Bennett was acquitted in May on charges of plotting to overthrow Mr Mugabe, but prosecutors are appealing.

He has not yet taken up his post as deputy agriculture minister. His MDC party sees the charges as political.

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More News On Zimbabwe

Mugabe a front for military dictatorship, says PM aide -- Irish Times
Mugabe mourns after sister Sabina dies in Zimbabwe -- BBC
Robert Mugabe loses political ally as younger sister Sabina dies -- The Telegraph
Zimbabwe 'housing blitz victims still homeless' -- AFP
Judiciary indebted to Mugabe: Report -- The Zimbabwean
Controversy Flares Over Site for Statue of Zimbabwe Liberation Figure Nkomo -- Voice of America
Building a Jerusalem in Zimbabwe's green and pleasant land -- The Guardian
Zimbabwe: From breadbasket to basket case -- Toronto Star

Zimbabwe And The Diamond Trade

The Kimberley Process had blocked sales from the fields in
eastern Zimbabwe after documenting forced labour. Photo from AFP

Zimbabwe Diamonds Deal To Allow Partial Exports -- BBC

The body overseeing the trade in "blood diamonds" has agreed that Zimbabwe can resume limited exports from new diamond fields in the east of the country.

Under the terms of the deal, Zimbabwe will be able to sell some stockpiles.

It may be able to resume full exports after a review of conditions at the Marange diamond fields in September.

The Kimberley Process suspended the diamond exports in November in response to allegations of atrocities committed by security forces at Marange.

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More News On Zimbabwe And the Diamond Trade

Some Diamonds From Zimbabwe Field Cleared for Export -- Voice of America
Limited Sales of Zimbabwe Diamonds Approved -- New York Times
Diamonds From Zimbabwe Field Cleared for Export -- Wall Street Journal
Zimbabwe gets go-ahead to sell some diamonds -- AP
Zimbabwe diamonds row far from over -- BBC
Zimbabwe Allowed to Sell Diamonds, Amid Claims of Human Rights Abuses -- Newsweek
Why diamonds can't be Robert Mugabe's best friend -- Christian Science Monitor

My Comment: Blood diamonds .... I repeat .... these are just blood diamonds to continue the tyrannical rule of Mugabe and his henchman.

How Blood Diamonds Are Keeping Zimbabwe's Mugabe In Power

Blood Diamonds: The Illicit Trade Propping Up The Mugabe Regime -- Times Online

Bayo, a burly Guinean also known as Mr Big, threw the contents of the small plastic bag on to the bare wooden table. A handful of rough diamonds twinkled in the half-light of the shabby office.

“Put the light on,” shouted Demba, one of several “associates” squeezed into the back room of a residential home. Someone flicked the switch on a desk lamp and he pointed at the gems. “Look at this quality — very good, boss, very good. Tell me which type you want and I’ll bring them over.”

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My Comment: It is unfortunate to see that Zimbabwe is now continuing Africa's long and bloody history when it comes to blood diamonds.

Now We Know Why Iran's President Visited Zimbabwe

Iran Strikes Secret Nuclear Mining Deal With Zimbabwe's Mugabe Regime -- The Telegraph

Iran has struck a secret deal with Zimbabwe to mine its untapped uranium reserves in a move to secure raw material for its steadily expanding nuclear programme.

The agreement was sealed last month during a visit to Tehran by a close aide to Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean president who last weekend celebrated 30 years in power, The Sunday Telegraph has learned.

In return for supplying oil, which Zimbabwe desperately needs to keep its faltering economy moving, Iran has been promised access to potentially huge deposits of uranium ore – which can be converted into the basic fuel for nuclear power or enriched to make a nuclear bomb.

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My Comment: The only thing of value that Zimbabwe has right now is its raw resources .... a commodity that Zimbabwe is now giving to the highest bidder.

Zimbabwe Celebrates 30 Years Of Independence

Zimbabwe's 30th Birthday: How Did Robert Mugabe Turn Hope Into Misery? -- The Telegraph

It is exactly 30 years since Robert Mugabe became newly-created Zimbabwe's first prime minister. What went wrong, asks Peta Thornycroft?

"If yesterday I fought as an enemy, today you have become a friend. If yesterday you hated me, today you cannot avoid the love that binds you to me, and me to you."

With these words, Robert Mugabe sought to reassure white and black alike on the eve of his swearing-in as prime minister of the newly independent and internationally recognised state of Zimbabwe, exactly 30 years ago today.

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More News On Zimbabwe

Mugabe marks 30 years of Zimbabwe -- The Independent
Robert Mugabe rejects violence as Zimbabwe turns 30 -- The Guardian
Little to celebrate -- The Independent
Mugabe's call for peace rings hollow ahead of elections -- Times Live
Zimbabwe's child cadets parade for independence anniversary celebrations -- The Telegraph

A View Of What Is Happening In Zimbabwe

Postcard From Zimbabwe -- Nicholas Kristof, New York Times

Here’s a measure of how President Robert Mugabe is destroying this once lush nation of Zimbabwe:

In a week of surreptitious reporting here (committing journalism can be a criminal offense in Zimbabwe), ordinary people said time and again that life had been better under the old, racist, white regime of what was then called Rhodesia.

“When the country changed from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe, we were very excited,” one man, Kizita, told me in a village of mud-walled huts near this town in western Zimbabwe. “But we didn’t realize the ones we chased away were better and the ones we put in power would oppress us.”

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My Comment: I have not written about Zimbabwe for the past few months .... too depressing on every level. Nicholas Kristof's article is a reminder that nothing has changed.

Update: Zimbabwe: Almost 80% of population is absolutely poor (Unicef) -- Afrik.com

Zimbabwe Slides Back Into Economic Crisis

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe attends the swearing-in ceremony of his Mozambican counterpart Armando Guebuza for a second term in office in the capital Maputo, January 14, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Grant Lee Neuenburg

Mugabe Forces Handover Of White-Owned Companies To Black Zimbabweans -- Times Online

A law to force white-owned companies to surrender 51 per cent of their shareholdings to black Zimbabweans comes into effect today, amid panic in the country’s business sector and fears of a catastrophic slide back into economic chaos.

Six weeks from now all companies with a relatively modest asset value of at least US$500,000 (£325,000) will have to submit official forms detailing the race of each of their shareholders. If whites are in the majority they will have to submit their “indigenisation plans”, which have to be carried out within five years.

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More News On Zimbabwe

Mugabe defends sale of foreign firms to locals -- AFP
ZANU-PF Politburo Endorses Controversial Zimbabwe Indigenization Regulations -- Voice of America
Zimbabwe presses on with local ownership law: minister -- Washington Post/Reuters
We're taking white-owned companies! -- Al Jazeera
Zimbabwe's Mugabe, 86, to party amid distress -- Reuters
African leaders show there are many countries for old men -- The Guardian
Zimbabwean President Mugabe Says Government Too Broke To Raise Wages -- Voice of America
Mugabe to celebrate 86th birthday with televised £325,000 lobster feast -- The Telegraph

The Final Nail In The Coffin For Whites In Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe's government has passed a law that forces Zimbabwe's white-owned companies to hand over majority control to black businessmen Photo: AFP/GETTY

Black Zimbabweans To Take Control Of White-Owned Companies -- The Telegraph

White-owned companies in Zimbabwe are to be forced to hand majority control to black businessmen in a move that could lead to chaos rivalling the seizure of the country's commercial farms.

The new regulations demand that all foreign and locally owned companies hand over at least 51 per cent ownership to black Zimbabweans.

Thousands of firms, including the Zimbabwean operations of giants such as Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and the mining company Rio Tinto, will be affected, and they must submit their plans to comply by March 1.

Owners who fail to comply could be jailed.

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My Comment: And there are people who are wondering why Africa has the problems that it does.

Robert Mugabe Is Still The 'Real Power': UN Investigator

From The Australian:

THE UN torture investigator has warned that Zimbabwe's fragile coalition government could collapse, saying his expulsion from the nation showed that President Robert Mugabe and his party continued to hold "the real power".

Manfred Nowak, who was detained on Thursday when he arrived in Harare, blamed Mugabe for blocking his entry and said there was evidence that torture was once again being used to stifle dissent.

He said he would recommend that the UN Human Rights Council should take action against Zimbabwe.

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More News On Zimbabwe

SADC Summit to Discuss Zimbabwe Crisis -- Voice of America
Zimbabwe: Mugabe takes sharp dig at Tsvangirai -- AP
Zimbabwe PM 'dishonest': Mugabe -- AFP
Mugabe criticises MDC boycott -- Al Jazeera
SADC troika to hold heads of state summit on Zimbabwe -- China View
Southern African Regional Grouping Steps Up Intervention in Zimbabwe Crisis -- Voice of America

Last Ditch Efforts Being Made To Save Zimbabwe's Coalition Government

Robert Mugabe. Photo AFP

Can Mutambara Save Zimbabwe's Power-Sharing Government? -- Christian Science Monitor

Zimbabwe's Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara portrayed himself as a mediator while decrying the obstinance of President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Johannesburg, South Africa; and Harare, Zimbabwe - For the second week running, President Robert Mugabe's coalition partners – the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) – have boycotted cabinet meetings. It's the latest sign that the country's fragile power-sharing agreement could collapse.

But this doesn't mean that Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF party has the government all to itself. Arthur Mutambara, the country's deputy prime minister and leader of a smaller faction of the MDC, and other members of his party attended cabinet meetings this week in a bid to hold the so-called Government of National Unity together.

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More News On Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Prime minister's party fears new attacks -- AP
Zimout dealbabwe talks end 'with' -- BBC
Hardliners 'seek Zimbabwe split' -- BBC
Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai's Walkout Puts Mugabe on the Backfoot -- allAfrica.com
Mugabe’s Assault on Human Rights in Zimbabwe Escalates -- Blogger News Network

My Comment: I have been saying for the past few years that Mugabe is not going to change. He is a thug, and he and his followers are not going to change their approach to governance or their treatment of their opponents. Unfortunately, there are many who believe that the leopard can change its spots .... and that someone like Mugabe can be reformed.

Sigh .....

Zimbabwe In Crisis -- News Updates For September 13, 2009

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Swedish International Development Minister Gunilla Carlsson and European Union (EU) Aid and Development Commissioner Karel De Gucht address journalists after their meeting in Bulawayo, September 12, 2009. REUTERS

A Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe: Still Slow In Coming -- Time Magazine

For years, much of the debate over Zimbabwe has been preoccupied with how much, and how publicly, to criticize its despotic longtime leader Robert Mugabe. In the past, the West routinely harangued the ailing 85-year-old dictator, a former liberation hero who has ruled for 29 years. Western capitals and human rights groups have urged Africa to do the same, believing that the continent needed to recognize its own problems and sort them out. A few African leaders, like those in Botswana and Uganda, obliged.

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More News On Zimbabwe

EU: Sanctions targeting Mugabe won't be lifted -- AP
Tsvangirai's party considers pull out -- Daily Nation
Zimbabwe PM seeks to ease doubts on unity govt -- AFP
EU pledges more aid to Zimbabwe -- AFP
EU Says Zimbabwe Ties Enter New Phase -- New York Times
The EU's Zimbabwe dilemma -- The Guardian, opinion

Why Africa Continues To Suffer

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe gives a speech in Harare in February 2009. Mugabe has lashed out at Western sanctions against him, condemning "bloody whites" for meddling in Zimbabwe's affairs, on the eve of a landmark visit by an EU delegation. (AFP/File/Desmond Kwande)

African Leaders Embrace Mugabe At SADC Summit -- Christian Science Monitor

The group's soft approach to Zimbabwe's president disappoints many, but some say it may be more effective in engaging him.

Johannesburg, South Africa - If Zimbabweans expected their country's neighbors to come out strongly against the repressive behavior of their president, Robert Mugabe, at a meeting of regional leaders in Kinshasa this week, then they were sorely mistaken.

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My Comment: This pathetic old racist symbolizes what is so wrong with Africa. The reason why neighboring leaders do not condemn him (with rare exceptions), is that they relate to his ideology and politics. As long as they this type of thinking continues to persist .... Africa will always be exploited by others (in today's world that is China), poor, and in perpetual tribal conflict.

The Suffering In Zimbabwe Continues

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe (L) and his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma (R) arrive at the Harare Agricultural Show in Zimbabwe capital Harare, August 28, 2009. Zimbabwe teachers refused to return to class when the new school term began on Tuesday as the inclusive government insisted that it was broke to improve on their salaries. REUTERS

Robert Mugabe Opponents Burned Out -- The Australian

ROBERT Mugabe's henchmen have been accused of setting ablaze the homes of opponents after fires consumed the farmsteads of two prominent white activists.

Mount Carmel Farm, owned by Mike Campbell, who led a campaign against Mugabe's land seizures, was burnt to the ground yesterday. It had been occupied by a mob claiming to be war veterans since Mr Campbell, 78, and his wife, Angela, 67, were forced out in April by a member of Mugabe's politburo. On Sunday, the nearby home of Ben Freeth and his wife, Laura, the Campbells' daughter, also burnt down.

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More News On Zimbabwe

Divisions in Zimbabwe Government Deepen as ZANU-PF Rebuffs Regional Tribunal -- Voice of America
Tsvanigrai Says ZANU-PF Actions Threaten Unity Government -- Voice of America
U.S lawmakers support Zimbabwe's unity government -- AP
South Africa wants faster Zimbabwe talks -- Reuters
Disputes on posts undermine Zimbabwe govt: Tsvangirai -- AFP
Zimbabwean farmer, Campbell’s house torched today -- The Times
Zimbabwe teachers go on strike -- Daily Nation
Mugabe pardons 1,500 prisoners to ease jail congestion -- CNN
Is Mugabe losing control of Zimbabwe? -- Christian Science Monitor

Ominous Signs In Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
Tsvangiray Mukwazhi / AP

Mugabe Using Police To Crush Opposition, MDC says -- Christian Science Monitor

Law enforcement officials are carrying out a covert operation to arrest Movement for Democratic Change politicians on trumped up charges as a way to diminish the opposition's clout in a fragile unity government, say MDC officials.

Johannesburg, South Africa; and Harare, Zimbabwe - The party of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is working with the country's law enforcement agencies in a covert operation designed to harass, intimidate, and decimate its chief partner in Zimbabwe's fragile, seven-month-old coalition government, the Movement for Democratic Change, MDC officials have told the Monitor.

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More News On Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Releases Lawmakers From PM's Party -- Voice of America
Ten Zimbabwean lawmakers detained: MDC lawyer -- AFP
Zimbabwe arrests lawmakers in Tsvangirai's party -- AP
Zimbabwe Police Arrest, Release 10 Opposition MPs -- New York Times/Reuters
Zimbabwe needs the west to engage Mugabe -- Michael Holman, Financial Times opinion

My Comment: I am the first to admit that I am surprised that this coalition government has lasted this long. My bet was 6 months tops.

Zimbabwe Jail Likened To Death Camp

PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN BROADCASTING CORP. SUFFERING: In these screen captures from "Hell Hole" provided to The Washington Times in advance of its broadcast Tuesday, gaunt prisoners share stories of being neglected by the Zimbabwean government. The documentary, produced with hidden cameras, is set to air on "Special Assignment".

From The Washington Times:

Evokes images from Holocaust.

Halfway through a 25-month sentence for theft, Brian Gumbo is literally rotting away - his skin peels because of malnutrition and the muscles in his legs have withered to the point where he can barely walk.

Mr. Gumbo, thought to be in his late 20s or early 30s, is one of several inmates videotaped through hidden cameras inside Zimbabwe's prisons.

The images, shared with The Washington Times, are of gaunt prisoners with protruding ribs reminiscent of just-freed Holocaust survivors or Muslim prisoners held by Serbian troops during the Bosnian war.

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More News On Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe, law has a long road ahead -- L.A. Times
Zimbabwe: Farm Seizures Assailed -- New York Times
A year after contested poll, Zimbabwe seeks hope -- AFP
Goods reappear in Zimbabwe shops -- AFP
Has Zimbabwe's Runaway Inflation Been Tamed? -- Time Magazine
Zimbabwe: Is the basket case finally on the mend? -- Independent