Angola

In 1997, the United Nations (UN) placed Angola under sanctions forbidding countries from buying diamonds from them. This was the first resolution of the UN which specifically mentioned diamonds in the context of funding the war. Reports estimated that as much as 20% of total production in the 1990s were being sold for illegal purposes, and 15% were specifically conflict in nature. By 1999, the illegal diamond trade was estimated by the World Diamond Council to have been reduced to 3.06% of the world's diamond production. The World Diamond Council reported that by 2004 this percentage had fallen to approximately 1%.

Angola, formerly a colony of Portugal, gained independence on November 11, 1975. Although independent, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), and the National Liberation Front of Angola(FNLA) fought in civil war from 1975 to 2002. UNITA sold diamonds abroad in violation of the Bicesse Accords of 1994 to finance its war with the government. The UN recognized the role that diamonds played in funding the UNITA rebels, and in 1998 banned countries from buying diamonds from Angola.