In November the Kimberley Process will once again meet. If one reads the Annual Review Diamonds and Human Security compiled by Partnership Africa Canada then one can assume that the current process is failing and on the verge of collapse. So why is this occurring?
There is currently no Accountability. The Chair of the Process has no real power besides the ability to convene the members of the process. The Debates on vital issues can drag on for years and for there to be Consensus there has to be no dissent amongst the Members of the Process. So on this level the Process appears to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
So when the Process meets in Namibia this month there are several serious situations that need to be addressed. Sadly most of them are located in Africa. And if one reads the International News Pages a general idea can be generated regarding what are the Nations that will be the focus of the “scrutiny” of the Process.
In recent days the UN has extended the Embargo against Diamonds emerging from the Ivory Coast for another year. Presidential Elections which are scheduled for the end of the month could once again be delayed. Also there are Arms flowing into the country from neighboring Burkina Faso. The UN Report indicated that Israeli nationals and companies are complicit in the transfer of rough stones. Liberia the UAE and Lebanon should monitor the illegal import of stones from Ivory Coast. Mali has important links to the Ivorian Diamond Trade and they have received an Arms Package from the US in October.
Another country that has major problems regarding Diamonds is Zimbabwe. Last October there were reports of a Massacre of Artisanal Diamond Miners by the Zimbabwe Military. Also there were reports that the Diamonds were being driven across the border into South Africa in UN Vehicles. It has also been reported in the past that the country has been a hub in the smuggling of diamonds. At the next meeting of the Kimberley Process Zimbabwe is expected to face some form of penalty for its bad actions. We shall soon find out what happens.
Another plot twist is the situation involving the Republic of the Congo. After being the only country suspended from the Process in 2004 it was readmitted in 2007. There is little or no interest into the Diamond Mining in the country why not? Guinea which just had a massacre in September has serious diamond Issues as well. In fact the export program is considered to be an extortion ring.
We have heard about how minerals and their control by Militia Forces in the DRC are a contributing factor to the bloodshed that plagues the country. How some of these Militias convert these gems into cash to purchase weapons is not known but it can be said that Conflict Diamonds are being exported from the Congo. There have been some allegations that the Zimbabwean Government has skimmed off some stones as they are in transit but there is no independent confirmation however stones from the massacre site have appeared through Africa and South America.
So the process that was created to halt the spread of Conflict Diamonds is only paying lip service to ending the Process. And people in Africa are paying the price for it.
From: sierraexpressmedia.com
