/ 20 February 2001

UNITA REBELS KILL DIAMOND WORKERS: AGENCY

ANGOLAS UNITA rebels attacked a vehicle belonging to the state diamond-mining group Endiama at the weekend, killing three people, the Roman Catholic missionary news agency Misna reported on Monday. The rebels ambushed the vehicle near the town of Nzaji, in the northeastern Lunda Norte province where Endiama has extensive diamond-mining operations, Misna said. Two of the victims were Angolan and one was Portuguese. UNITA, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, has attacked government diamond-mining operations in the past and uses illegally mined diamonds to finance its 25-year civil war against the government. – Reuters