tion lead by Dr Jonas Savimbi. This group has been in battle with MPLA, or the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, for control over the country. Their battle has been going on for twenty years now and has left Angola littered with land mines, 10-20 million to be precise. Countless innocent civilians lose their lives every day due to land mines. Many strategic analysts believe that a large-scale civil war could recur due to UNITAs unwillingness to turn over its many diamond mines to the Angolan MPLA government under President Eduardo Dos Santos. (Lewis) The U.S. actually backed UNITA during the Cold War because of Russias involvement with the MPLA. As the Cold War finally came to an end UNITA lost most of its military support. In 1992, Savimbi lost an election for control of the Angolan government and the position of presidency. In a show of protest and an accusation that the MPLA committed election fraud, Savimbi resumed his guerrilla war against the Angolan government in October of 1992. UNITA controlled more than half of Angolas national territory by 1993. (Lewis) For the next two years Angola was plagued with famine and disease. Land mines created barriers to agriculture and in effect brought on mass starvation. In 1994, Santos and Savimbi signed the Lusaka Protocol. This treaty called for the continued effort of both groups to maintain peace. Despite this call for peace UNITA continues to illegally place diamonds into the world market. It is not known when hostilities will cease, if at all. Angola produced just over five million carats in 1998, at an average price of $US 136/ carat. (MBendi) As a result of UNITAs incursion into the diamond market, the Angolan governments diamond sector, the Endiama Corporation, loses profits and is forced to tackle problems of mining property. Angolas Endiama Corporation hopes that UNITA leaders will agree to establish legitimate private diamond mining firms that will...
