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The Defense Minister of Zimbabwe revealed that the country's army has entered into agreements with a number of foreign firms who have diamond mining operations in the Marange region, in order to side-step the economic sanctions imposed on diamonds emanating from the area, according to a Rough & Polished article, quoting a report in Newsday.

 

Zimbabwe Defense Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa reportedly told an audience at Midlands State University that deals were struck with diamond companies from China, Russia and other nations. Since there is only one Chinese firm and one Russian firm known to be currently operating in the Marange region, that leaves little room for doubt as to the identity of at least those two companies: China's Anjin Investments and Russia's Chimanimani.

 

Rough & Polished reports that Anjin has a diamond stockpile of about 3 million carats, and that at the end of 2011 it received Kimberley Process approval to sell its rough diamonds. Chimanimani, on the other hand, has only produced 7,000 carats thus far, as its operations are still in the trial stages.