Fatal Transactions as part of a Civil society coalition has called for active measures to address oil spills and environmental degradation in the Niger Delta, which has been engulfed by violent conflict over the past decade. BP’s Gulf of Mexico disaster has heightened international concerns about the environmental dangers of offshore drilling around the world and led to President Obama declaring it America’s “environmental 9/11”. This oil spill has been correctly identified as a massive emergency and it is time to recognise that the ongoing oil spills, conflict and human rights abuses in the Niger Delta should also be acknowledged as an emergency demanding a concerted international response.

The lack of consensus among Kimberley Process (KP) certification scheme members over whether Zimbabwe can resume diamond exports from the troubled Marange area was welcomed by the KP civil society coalition today as the ‘least bad’ outcome. The scheme’s annual meeting in Tel Aviv broke up without agreement after through-the-night talks.

The Marange diamond fields have been plagued with violence over recent years. A joint work plan was agreed last year between the Kimberley Process and the Zimbabwean government, which aimed at bringing Zimbabwe back into line with the scheme’s minimum requirements. Almost no progress has been made on key aspects of this plan, including smuggling and demilitarisation of the diamond fields. Despite this, a number of governments supported a resumption of exports at this week’s meeting.

The Zimbabwe authorities should immediately release Farai Maguwu, a prominent activist who reported abuses in Zimbabwe's notorious Marange diamond fields, the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition said today.

The call coincided with a June 21 meeting in Tel Aviv of the Kimberley Process (KP), an international government-led certification scheme established to prevent the trade in blood diamonds.

ECOS calls for Oil Company Investigation Over Sudanese Human Rights Abuses Fatal Transactions member IKV/Pax Christi, as part of a group of aid agencies that worked in Sudan during the civil war, reporting together as the European Coalition on Oil in Sudan (ECOS), has called for an investigation into the role played by a consortium of oil companies in the conflict and their possible complicity in the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

UPDATE (04/06/2010):
Farai Maguwu, director of the Centre for Research and Development (CRD) from Zimbabwe, has been detained by Zimbabwean police since June 3, 2010. Last September, we published his plea to suspend Zimbabwe from the Kimberley Process.

The state-sponsored harassment and intimidation of the Zimbabwean Centre for Research and Development (CRD), which has exposed ongoing human rights abuses in Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields, must stop. The monitoring arrangement of the Kimberley Process with Zimbabwe should be suspended.

A new dossier is available on the Fatal Transactions website: "Uranium Mining in Africa". The dossier describes the ins and outs of uranium mining and milling in Africa as well as the potential impact of uranium mining. In addition it discusses the links with the European Union and what the EU can do to promote uranium sustainable mining.

In a press release issued on November 6th, Fatal Transactions member BICC expresses its great concern whether or not the Kimberley Process should continue to exist now it fails to act in Zimbabwe.

Failure to suspend Zimbabwe from blood diamond scheme undermines efforts to end abuses and clean up international trade

Farai Maguwu, director of the Centre for Research and Development (CRD) from Zimbabwe, is in Europe. He is here to lobby, together with other civil society organisations, for a suspension of Zimbabwe from the Kimberley Process.

After almost one month in jail, Golden Misabiko, President of the African Association for the Protection of Human Rights in Katanga province (ASADHO/Katanga), has been released on bail on 20 August.