This archive report was first published on 2 October 2019.
On October 2, 2019, Zimbabwe's government expressed strong opposition to a US Customs and Border Protection ban on diamond imports from the Marange fields.
The ban, which also targeted China and the Democratic Republic of Congo, was seen as an extension of Washington DC's trade war with China.
According to the US, the embargo was imposed due to concerns that diamonds from the Marange fields were produced using forced labor.
However, Zimbabwe's government denied these allegations, with Nick Mangwana, a government spokesman, stating, 'To even suggest that Zimbabwe has some form of corporate forced labor is mischievous or simply ignorant.'
Mr. Mangwana emphasized that Zimbabwe's constitution prohibits forced, compulsory labor or slavery in any form.
He also described the US ban as 'a manifestation of undeclared sanctions that have hurt the economy.'
The Marange diamond fields have been a source of controversy for years, with allegations of human rights violations and unaccounted-for diamond revenues.
As far back as 2016, then-President Robert Mugabe stated that diamonds from Marange worth $15 billion could not be accounted for.
