Zimbabwe: Suffering Amid Diamond Fields of Plenty

Marange — Marange's diamond fields, about 90km southeast of Mutare in Manicaland Province, drew tens of thousands of artisanal miners in 2006 as word spread that diamonds had been found. Two years later, they were flushed out in a heavy-handed security operation called 'Hakudzokwi' - meaning "you will not return" - to allow commercial mining companies to exploit the roughly 60,000-hectare site.

Rodrick Nyauyanga, 50, briefly gave up his life as a Marange farmer to become an artisanal miner in 2006. With the earnings, he built himself a five-room brick-and-mortar home with a zinc roof. He also purchased six head of cattle and several farming implements, as well as a motorbike.

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