not threaten the economy of the Angolan government. (Lewis) The Endiama Corporation, a state run company, mines the majority of Angolas diamond output. The diamonds that come out of Angola are known worldwide for their quality. Many analysts agree that if there was no interference from groups such as UNITA, Angola could possibly be ranked among the largest producers of diamonds in the world. This is a classic example of the effect that civil war and market circulation problems can have on a countries economy. The chaos that goes on in Angola is taken advantage of by people looking to get rich, by purchasing illegally mined diamonds and placing them into the world market.Although the majority of UNITA members and leaders have followed the Lusaka Protocol, many have not abided by the treaty. the Lunda region contains those powerful UNITA leaders who do not want to lose their economic power to the Angolan MPLA government. (Lewis) A large majority of the mines that UNITA controls are not being handed over to the MPLA run government, which is the plan of the Protocol, simply because many UNITA leaders will not give up their fight. This drastically affects the economy of Angola due to the fact that a good portion of the diamonds that come out of the country are done so by illegal means. This can only hurt the countrys economy.Many steps have been taken to try and halt UNITAs attempts to regain its previous power. Endiama has established a partnership with the worlds most powerful diamond mining corporation, DeBeers. The goal of DeBeers is to buy up the illegally produced gems before they leave the country. (Lewis) To protect legitimate mines from UNITA attacks, DeBeers and Endiama have hired hundreds of South African mercenaries. This helps the government run mines produce more diamonds to help stabilize Angolas currently weak economy. De Beers is fully supportive of the aims of the various bodies seeking to deny rebel movem...
