Enlarge
Map of Zimbabwe

Mining activities in Zimbabwe produced about 8.7 million carats of rough diamonds in the 2011 calendar year, Rough and Polished reported. The diamond companies operating on Zimbabwean soil that were responsible for  the harvest include Anjin, DMC, DTZ-OZGEO, Limpopo Mineral Resources, Marange Resources, Mbada, and Murowa, owned by Rio Tinto.

 

Of the total number of carats mined, 7.15 million of those carats were exported to countries that included the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Israel and Belgium.

 

Although the Kimberley Process lifted sanctions on Zimbabwe, giving a green light to the export of gems from the country's Marange region, some KP member states, such as the United States, imposed sanctions of their own, impeding the unhindered flow of the precious stones.

 

The report also stated that 99 individuals were arrested in Zimbabwe on charges of possessing diamonds illegally in 2011, and that over 1200 carats of diamonds were recovered as a result, according to Rough and Polished.