By Daniel M. Austin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

By Laura Hirahara
Impunity Watch, Africa

HARARE, Zimbabwe- The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a report citing ‘blood’ diamonds as the main source of funding for President Robert Mugabe’s upcoming 2011 election in Zimbabwe.  These blood diamonds, also called conflict diamonds, are being mined from the Marange fields in Zimbabwe, a mining cite that lost it’s Kimberly Process (KP) certification last year after reports of forced labor and other human rights violations reached the Israeli Diamond Exchange, the group that leads the KP.  The KP is a watchdog group made up of government, diamond industry and civil officials to end the mining, smuggling and sale of blood diamonds.  Despite losing its certification, the Marange fields continues to be mined.  Last week, David Vardi, an Israeli Diamond Exchange trader, was stopped at the Ben Gurion Internatiol Airport after flying in from Zimbabwe carrying $140,000 in uncut diamonds. While the KP has not classified the diamonds coming from Murange as blood diamonds, they have put a stop to their export and some fear that President Mugabe’s effort to control the fields will increase the number of blood diamonds on the market.

In addition to the HRW report, the Africa Canada Partnership group reported in June that it had investigated the Marange fields and found that the mining cites were under military control yet none of the proceeds were benefiting Zimbabwe’s government.  Because the military reports to the President, many fear Mugabe is using these diamonds to ensure his victory in the next elections.  Tom Porteous, UK director of HRW, said “Revenue from the mines is serving to prop up Mugabe and his cronies.”  The HRW report cites unnamed soldiers, diggers, local and national parliament leaders and others inside Zimbabwe’s government as the source for this information.

Mugabe’s party, Zanu (PF), has denied the existence of any diamond smuggling. “These are just inventions of the western imperialists who are trying to discredit Zanu (PF)[. . . .]  There is no corruption at Marange,” said party spokesman Rugare Gumbo earlier this month in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.  Despite these assertions by the government, these latest HRW allegations follow years of reports citing torture in the mines as well as military slayings of freelance diamond miners and other human rights violations.  The Marange feilds remain under a KP enforced embargo until the international community can agree the diamonds being mined there are conflict free.  As reported earlier this week on Impunity Watch, Zimbabwe continues to struggle with its next elections.  If Mugabe is using the Murange feilds to fund his campaign for 2011, Porteous believes the diamonds will be used to “[. . .] fund political violence and intimidation of Mugabe’s opponents.”

For more information, please see;

VOA News- Human Rights Watch Says Zimbabwe’s Murange Diamonds Funding Mugabe Party– 29 Dec., 2010

Business Day- Diamonds Funding Mugabe’s Election– 30 Dec., 2010

AFP- Blood Diamond Fears in I. Coast Political Duel– 28 Dec., 2010

AFP- Israeli Trader Barred as ‘Blood Diamonds’ Suspect– 29 Dec., 2010

IW- Zimbabwe Delays Elections– 23 Dec., 2010

By Daniel M. Austin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa  

JOS, Nigeria – On Friday, December 24, extremists detonated a number of bombs in the Nigerian city of Jos, killing dozens. Nigerian officials believe at least 38 people were killed in the attacks and more than 78 were wounded. In response to this act of terrorism, the Nigerian government stepped up patrols and instituted a curfew in Jos, and barred people from carrying guns in the city. Yet despite these restrictions, there are reports of more violent outbursts in Jos on Sunday, December 26, as angry citizen’s reacted to Friday’s bombings.

The attack on December 24 consisted of a series of four bombings; two bombings occurred at a large market as people were doing last minute Christmas shopping. A third bomb was detonated in a predominately Christian part of the city, and a fourth bomb was detonated on a road leading to a mosque. The central government blames the violence on sectarian fighting between Christians and Muslims.

Furthermore, on December 26, several buildings in the city of Jos were set on fire and there were armed clashes between Christians and Muslims. News agencies claim at least one person was killed in the fighting. The Nigerian government has stepped in to prevent any further bloodshed.

Nigeria is a country where roughly have the population is Christian, while the other half is Muslim. The Christian residents dominate the southern half of Nigeria while the Muslim population is concentrated in the northern half of the country. Jos is the capital city in the state of Plateau. Plateau is located in a region called the Middle Belt, which separates the northern and southern regions.

Friday’s attack on Jos was not the first time the city has been embroiled in sectarian conflict. There were similar bombings in 2001, and in 2008 when religious tensions boiled over. Additionally, in March of this year over 490 people were killed when Muslim herders attacked a Christian village in the state of Plateau.  Although the most obvious tension between these two factions are religious differences, other factors such as economic and political control, poverty, and lack of access to land and other resources also contribute to the unrest. Nigerian government officials believe the most recent attack was intended to produce more sectarian violence.

For more information, please see:

AFP —  Clashes in Nigerian city after deadly Christmas bombings – 26 December 2010

BBC — Nigeria: Jos sees renewed clashes after bombings – 26 December 2010

Bloomberg — Nigeria Imposes Curfew on City After 32 Die in Christmas Eve Explosions – 26 December 2010

Reuters — Christmas Eve attacks kill at least 38 in Nigeria – 26 December 2010

VOA News — New Clashes in Central Nigeria After Deadly Friday Bombings – 26 December 2010

By Laura Hirahara
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

HARARE, Zimbabwe- Zimbabwe’s coalition government announced this week that elections would be postponed until at least October since there would first need to be a referendum on a new constitution.  The coalition government, led by Zimbabwe’s long time president Robert Mugabe and the opposition leader from 2008, Morgan Tsvangirai, has been a tumultuous union and many fear that the next elections could end in violence.  President Mugabe, who first gained power thirty years ago, is pushing for a quick election that would end the coalition government even though his critics say he is stalling on the necessary media, security and electoral reforms that wound guarantee a free and fair voting process.

Many outside of Zimbabwe are pushing for the country to make these necessary changes.  The Friends of Zimbabwe group, comprised of the United States, the United Nations, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and other Western nations has expressed concerns that Zimbabwe is not focusing on the “protection of fundamental rights, the rule of law, governance and respect for agreements.”  Botswana’s Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology, Jeff Ramsay, made a statement that Botswana would respect the decisions of Zimbabwe in their own affairs but that such decisions need to be made in an open and fair climate.  Said Ramsay, “[The Southern African Development Community (SADC)] must insist on such a process for the delivery of credible elections in that country and must put in place [. . .] a monitoring mechanism to guarantee such an outcome.”

Those in the coalition government believe Zimbabwe is far from holding an election despite Mugabe’s urging for a quick election.  Douglas Mwonzora, joint-chairman of Zimbabwe’s Parliamentary Select Committee said this week that the process has been slowed by a lack of funds and political infighting, adding that the referendum adopting a new constitution could take the process well into September of 2011.  Given the violence that left 200 Zimbabweans dead after the 2008 elections, partners in the coalition government are asking for a SADC election road-map that would ensure safe elections.  The international community, along with Zimbabwe’s citizens, fear President Mugabe and the coalition government will not be able to reach timely agreements on any electoral processes.  The Friends of Zimbabwe stated on Wednesday, “[T]he Zimbabwean government needs to create [an] enabling environment, and agree on and implement significant reforms. Zimbabweans should not face violence and intimidation to cast their votes.”

For more information, please see;

Reuters- Western Countries Press Zimbabwe on Vote Reforms– 23 Dec., 2010

The Zimbabwe Mail- SADC Must Insist on Credible Zimbabwe Elections– 22 Dec., 2010

CNN- Zimbabwe Elections Likely to Be Delayed– 23 Dec., 2010

 By Daniel M. Austin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KHARTOUM, Sudan – The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor has accused Sudan’s President of funneling billions of dollars in government funds to his personal bank accounts. Mr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC’s chief prosecutor claims the theft could be as high as $9 billion (U.S. dollar). The Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir has vigorously denied these accusations and believes the charges are an attempt by Western powers to overthrow his government.

The chief prosecutor’s claim was made public when WikiLeak’s released diplomatic cables between the United States and the chief prosecutor. The purported theft was confirmed by Mr. Moreno-Ocampo when he spoke with Reuters news agency. Although the ICC could not determine precisely how much was taken, President Bashir is accused of having stolen anywhere between several hundred million dollars to as much as $9 billion. It is widely believed that at least some of the money was stolen from Sudan’s thriving oil economy. If the $9 billion figure is correct, it would be a staggering sum, accounting for nearly 10% of the country GDP.

Additionally, it is not known where the stolen funds are located. The Wikileak’s cable claims the money is stashed in several banks outside of Sudan and possibly in Lloyd’s Bank in London. To further complicate matters, the chief prosecutor is unsure of the funds whereabouts and Lloyd’s Bank in London claims Mr. Bashir’s is not an account holder with their bank.

Outside of this most recent accusation, the ICC has already issued two arrest warrants for President Bashir. He has been charged with numerous crimes related to the Sudanese civil war and in particular, the humanitarian crisis that took place in the Darfur region. Specifically, President Bashir has been charged with genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The indictment handed down by the International Criminal Court represents the first time a sitting head of state has been accused by this government body.  Mr. Moreno-Ocampo claims the financial dealings of President Bashir were uncovered during a thorough investigation into the atrocities that took place during the country’s seven year civil war.

According to the United Nations, the conflict in Sudan between President Bashir’s regime in the north and rebels in the south has led to over 300,000 deaths and the displacement of two million. These figures stand in stark contrast to Sudanese government figures, which claim 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting.

For more information, please see:

BBC –- Sudan’s President Bashir ‘siphoned off millions’ – ICC –18 December 2010

Daily Telegraph — WikiLeaks: Sudan’s president ‘stashed $9 billion’ — 18 December 2010 

Sudan Tribune -–Sudan President stashed billions in secret bank accounts, says ICC prosecutor -– 18 December 2010

VOA — Sudan President Accused of Hiding Billions of Dollars –- 18 December 2010