Zimbabwean diamonds on sale
The first public sale of diamonds from Zimbabwe's controversial Marange fields was held on Wednesday (11 August 2010) at Harare airport. The body that regulates the global diamond trade, the Kimberley Process, said that approximately 900,000 carats of rough diamonds were valued at around 72 million US dollars during the auction.
Zimbabwe lost its license to sell diamonds last November over alleged human rights abuses committed by army troops that run the Marange fields, but in July the Kimberley Process allowed it to resume limited exports.
The UK newspaper the Financial Times reported that members of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Zanu-PF parties have been rowing over how the revenue from the auction should be used.
Source: Panos London
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