Gabriel Shumba, of the Zimbabwe Blood Diamonds Campaign, said yesterday: “We can confirm that more than 300 people have died and others maimed by government security forces that are in the area allegedly to stem illegal mining, but are in fact illegally extracting the diamonds themselves.”

This is the first time that the human rights lawyers had confirmed the abuses.

Shumba, in statement released to the media yesterday, said: “Women have been raped, and children maimed. There is little doubt that Chiadzwa diamonds are tainted with the blood of Zimbabweans.”

Shumba demanded the immediate suspension of Zimbabwe from the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.

Last month, KPCS, in a report, produced after an on-site visit to Zimbabwe, recommended a six-month suspension of Zimbabwe from the sale of rough diamonds until security, control and accountability systems are put in place by the Zimbabwean government.

On August 9, Finance Minister Tendai Biti admitted that control processes were not effective when he observed that the looting of diamonds in Chiadzwa was “an embarrassment and a mess”.

But Zimbabwe Mines Minister Obert Mpofu has opposed a ban, arguing that Zimbabwe’s economy, which needs a resuscitation package of about US8.3-billion (R67- billion), will be adversely affected.

Shumba said no evidence has been produced to show how the diamonds have contributed to the national fiscus.

When a local chief was asked about the murder allegations by the visiting parliamentary mines and energy committee, he looked around at the uniformed policemen before declining to comment.

The 20-member committee was on a five-day fact finding mission to counter the Kimberly Process probe carried out last month.

Dominic Mubayiwa, chief executive of Zimbabwe Mining Development Corp, who was present at the Chiadzwa diamond fields on Saturday, said he was confident his state-owned company had done enough to persuade the Kimberly Process to retain Zimbabwe’s trading status.

So far, the ZMDC had erected a 10km fence around the most fertile parts of the 66,000ha diamond field. It has even employed its own guards. But armed soldiers remain outside the fence.

A preliminary report issued last month recommended the removal of the army as a major compliance requirement.

The Zimbabwe Blood Diamonds Campaign call is not for a permanent embargo, but a limited one that seeks, among other things, the demilitarisation of the diamond fields, an end to human rights violations and the immediate halting of the illegal trade.