|
|
US Bans Import of Zimbabwe Diamonds
Oct 3, 2019 11:01 AM
By Rapaport News
|
|
|
RAPAPORT... US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has blocked the
import of rough diamonds mined from the Marange fields in Zimbabwe, claiming
they were produced using forced labor.
“CBP is firmly committed to identifying and preventing
products made with the use of forced labor from entering the stream of US
commerce,” Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of the CBP office of
trade, said on Tuesday. “Our agency works tirelessly behind the scenes to
investigate and gather information on forced labor in global supply chains.”
The CBP based the September 30 ban on evidence it reviewed
and investigated after obtaining information from various sources, including
news reports, tips from the public and the trade community, or through its own
investigative methods.
“CBP works extensively with our stakeholders, the media and
private-sector businesses to gather information on forced labor in global supply
chains 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 a
source of contention for the US since 2008, after state security forces killed
nearly 200 citizens in an effort to clamp down on informal mining, resulting in
its removal from the Kimberley Process (KP). While the KP reinstated Zimbabwe
in 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, industry
experts believe the latest move is an attempt to reinforce the ban.
“I think they just want to put extra pressure, as there have
been NGOs reporting on forced labor in Marange,” said Peter Meeus, government
advisor on the diamond trade for the Central African Republic (CAR), and
advisor to the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB). “As such, diamonds
from Marange fall under the [Office of Foreign Assets Control] ban, so now
there is a second reason not to allow them.”
Zimbabwe denied the US government’s claims in a response to
media outlet Bloomberg, calling them “misinformed” and “misled” and stating
it had a “strong revulsion towards any form of slavery or servitude.”
CBP also issued four other prohibitions, including against
gold from artisanal small mines in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Image: The Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe. (Rapaport News)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tags:
Brenda Smith, CBP, Customs and Border Protection, k, Kimberley Process, Marange, Marange Fields, p, Peter Meeus, Rapaport News, Todd Owen, US Customs and Border Protection, WFDB, World Federation of Diamond Bourses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|