(Alliance News) - UK-based corporate watchdog RAID on Thursday claimed it had further evidence that guards employed by Petra Diamonds Ltd at its Williamson diamond mine in Tanzania have caused "serious harm" to local residents shot on the company's concession.
In total, RAID has found evidence of 10 killings and 50 injuries of local residents by security personnel, with the most recent assault occurring in late December 2020.
Williamson mine is 75% owned by Petra and 25% by the Tanzanian government.
Tanzanian private security firm Zenith Security Services Ltd has been the security contractor at Williamson mine since 2011.
Zenith was issued with metal projectiles, rather than rubber, according to RAID, in contrast to what senior management said was its policy.
In February, Petra said: "In the three months from November 2020 through January 2021 there have been 79 recorded incursions onto the special mining licence area, involving approximately 1,091 illegal diggers. In the majority of cases (60 of the 79 incidents), no force was used despite the illegal diggers becoming aggressive in 8 of those 60 incidents.
"In 19 of these incidents, reasonable force was required to remove or disperse the illegal diggers from the SML or for the security patrol teams to defend themselves. Live ammunition was only discharged on one occasion during November 2020, when the Tanzanian Police fired one live warning round in the air to disperse a group of illegal diggers."
In the 19 incidents where force was required, nine members of the security patrol team were injured, Petra said.
"[It] is not true that Zenith was only authorised to use rubber bullets. We used other bullets as well," said a former Zenith security guard to RAID, in RAID's release on Thursday.
He explained, RAID said, that guards replaced the rubber projectiles with "small, round metal" pellets or shot, such as "for the bearing of bicycles, so that when they fire, they spread... [which] helps them hit as many people as possible."
In Petra's release in February, the diamond miner said the "illegal diggers" were armed with slingshots and rocks.
In a letter to RAID on Tuesday, Petra said it would address the questions raised about the use of metal projectiles and the deliberate modification of ammunition as part of its public feedback on an internal investigation into the allegations of human rights abuses.
"According to the guard, Zenith supervisors were aware of the practice of swapping out rubber for metal projectiles," RAID said Thursday.
"Many of those injured and killed by the Zenith guards were taken to the mine-owned and operated Mwadui hospital, which sits inside the concession, raising questions as to how the company's management could have been unaware of the use of metal projectiles. In one case, an individual shot with metal pellets told RAID that he was visited by the mine's Chief Security Officer while at the Mwadui hospital and that X-ray images of the injuries were taken by the mine’s hospital staff," RAID said.
Petra said in February that a sub-committee has been set up to oversee the investigation "being carried out by a specialist external advisor in conjunction with the company's lawyers".
In September last year, Petra said that UK-based law firm Leigh Day had filed claims in the High Court of England and Wales against Petra on behalf of 32 anonymous individuals in relation to alleged breaches of human rights at the Williamson mine, arising from the mine’s security operations.
On Thursday afternoon, the company said: "As previously stated, Petra takes the allegations of human rights abuses at the Williamson mine extremely seriously. Petra has committed to provide feedback on the investigation being carried out by an external advisor, in conjunction with our legal advisors; the scope of this investigation already includes the allegations mentioned by RAID in their report."
Petra provided links to its previous responses to the allegations, ultimately offering no new information.
Petra declined to comment further on the issue when contacted by Alliance News.
The information uncovered by RAID is part of an ongoing investigation into human rights abuses at the Williamson Mine since UK-listed company Petra Diamonds took ownership in 2009.
Petra shares were up 2.1% at 1.44 pence each in London on Thursday.
By Greg Roxburgh; gregroxburgh@alliancenews.com
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