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, citing concerns of forced labor.
The US ban, which also targeted China and the Democratic Republic of Congo, has sparked suspicions that it is an extension of Washington's trade war with China.
According to Nick Mangwana, a government spokesman, the allegations of forced labor in Zimbabwe's diamond mines are 'mischievous' or 'ignorant', as the country's constitution prohibits forced labor or slavery in any form.
Mr. Mangwana stated, 'To even suggest that Zimbabwe has some form of corporate forced labor is mischievous or simply ignorant.'
He added that the government would engage the US on the matter, describing it as 'a manifestation of undeclared sanctions that have hurt the economy.'
The diamond mining in the Marange area in eastern Zimbabwe has long been a source of controversy, with allegations of human rights violations.
As far back as 2016, then-President Robert Mugabe said diamonds from Marange worth $15 billion could not be accounted for.
The government had initially planned to nationalize the diamond mines but President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took over from the late Mugabe, has rolled back the plans.
