“Conflict diamonds” become an international issue

The problem of illegal trading in “conflict diamonds” in DRC - as in Sierra Leone and Angola - was on Wednesday emphasised by British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and the Commonwealth, Peter Hain, at a meeting of government and industry representatives in London. “The problem of illicit diamonds fuelling wars in Africa is an urgent one. Together we must find solutions, and find them fast,” Hain said in a press statement. The meeting brought together trade officials from importing and marketing countries, including Belgium, India, Israel and the US - countries that up until now have played a relatively minor role in the growing consensus on the need for international action on the flow of diamonds from conflict zones. The issue was also likely to be a high priority at a meeting of the G-8 group of powerful economic countries at its meeting in Japan next month, the British statement added. In the DRC, a new mining consortium Oryx Diamonds, has been given a concession by the government to mine diamonds near the southern town of Mbuji-Mayi, held by Zimbabwean forces supporting Kinshasa against Rwandan and Ugandan-backed rebels. Oryx - a joint venture partnership between the Zimbabwean company Osleg, headed by Zimbabwean Defence Force Commander Lieutenant-General Vitalis Zvinavashe, and the DRC firm Comiex - had its listing turned down on the London Stock Exchange this month. It is, however, reportedly trying to list in Ireland or Canada in a further test of market sentiment towards conflict gems. Oryx denies that its gems are “blood diamonds” - saying that revenues would not fund rebel forces - but concern has nevertheless been raised over the role of diamonds in prolonging the war. In the DRC, “diamonds are clearly being used to fund the conflict on both sides and there needs to be a system in place to ensure that revenue accrued is not used to continue the war, when the (international) initiative is for a sustainable peace,” said Alex Yearsley of the London-based pressure group Global Witness. He said the definition used by Global Witness for conflict diamonds included, as in the case of the DRC, the absence of a democratically elected government.