Monitor resigns over diamond links

The monitors should ensure fair elections

A senior Commonwealth official who was withdrawn from Zimbabwe last week as an election observer has resigned amid allegations that he had close business links with President Robert Mugabe's government.

A Commonwealth spokesman said Dr Moses Anafu resigned because of his links with the Oryx diamond company.

Dr Anafu has admitted receiving payments from Oryx which has concessions to sell diamonds from areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo controlled by Zimbabwean forces fighting there.

But he denies having business links with Mr Mugabe's government.

He said he was stepping down to avoid compromising the role of the Commonwealth in the forthcoming elections in Zimbabwe scheduled for 24-25 June.

'Inappropriate' role

Earlier, Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon said Dr Anafu had assured him that he had not yet been appointed a non-executive director and had received no remuneration from the company.

"Given Dr Anafu's confirmation of his involvement with these companies it is inappropriate that he continue to be involved with the Commonwealth observer mission in Harare," said Mr McKinnon in a statement.

His business links were first reported in the London Times newspaper on Saturday, which said Dr Anafu was a non-executive director of the company.

Don McKinnon: Embarrassed by assurances

According to the Financial Times of London, Dr Anafu, would be allocated 10,000 shares when the company got listed and a 100,000 share option at the price of one dollar which he could cash in before March 2003.

The Oryx diamond mining concession is worth an estimated $1bn (£667m). It has a profit sharing agreement with Osleg, a company owned by the Zimbabwean Government and Comiex, a company owned by the Congolese government.

Election fears

Meanwhile, fears remain that the parliamentary elections in three weeks time will not be free and fair, despite the presence of election observers from the Commonwealth, European Union, Southern African Development Community and United Nations.

President Mugabe has links with the diamond mines in DR Congo

Nine Kenyans arrived in Harare on Tuesday to join the EU election observation team.

The World Council of Churches have also announced plans to send a team of observers.

Recent reports suggest intimidation of opposition party supporters has worsened with ruling party supporters attacking teachers and health workers.

About 250 schools are said to have closed because of pre-election violence.

More than 5,000 cases of political violence have been reported since February, and at least 30 people, mainly opposition supporters, have been killed.

President Mugabe is also reported to have criticised white judges in Zimbabwe as a "foreign cancer".

The courts have angered Zimbabwe's Government in recent weeks by twice ruling that the invasion of white farms backed by Mr Mugabe is illegal.

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Oryx Natural Resources: An apology