US Bans Import of Zimbabwe Diamonds

RAPAPORT... US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has blocked theimport of rough diamonds mined from the Marange fields in Zimbabwe, claimingthey were produced using forced labor. "CBP is firmly committed to identifying and preventingproducts made with the use of forced labor from entering the stream of UScommerce," Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of the CBP office oftrade, said on Tuesday. "Our agency works tirelessly behind the scenes toinvestigate and gather information on forced labor in global supply chains." The CBP based the September 30 ban on evidence it reviewedand investigated after obtaining information from various sources, includingnews reports, tips from the public and the trade community, or through its owninvestigative methods. "CBP works extensively with our stakeholders, the media andprivate-sector businesses to gather information on forced labor in global supplychains and educate importers on US compliance standards," explained Todd Owen,executive assistant commissioner at the CBP office of field operations. Under US law, it is illegal to import goods into the country that are made either wholly, or in part, by forced labor, CBP explained. Zimbabwe has been asource of contention for the US since 2008, after state security forces killednearly 200 citizens in an effort to clamp down on informal mining, resulting inits removal from the Kimberley Process (KP). While the KP reinstated Zimbabwein 2011, US sanctions imposed on diamonds from the country remain in place. While the existing sanctions already prohibit the import of Zimbabwe diamonds to the US, industryexperts believe the latest move is an attempt to reinforce the ban. "I think they just want to put extra pressure, as there havebeen NGOs reporting on forced labor in Marange," said Peter Meeus, governmentadvisor on the diamond trade for the Central African Republic (CAR), andadvisor to the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB). "As such, diamondsfrom Marange fall under the [Office of Foreign Assets Control] ban, so nowthere is a second reason not to allow them." Zimbabwe denied the US government's claims in a response tomedia outlet Bloomberg, calling them "misinformed" and "misled" and statingit had a "strong revulsion towards any form of slavery or servitude." CBP also issued four other prohibitions, including againstgold from artisanal small mines in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Image: The Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe. (Rapaport News)