Angola’s Diamond Riches: The Human Cost of Mining in July 2025
Blood, Sweat, and Diamonds: The Harsh Hopeless Reality of Angola’s Mines in July
In July, Angola’s diamond mines gleam with the promise of untold riches, drawing workers to one of the world’s top diamond-producing regions. As the sixth-largest global producer, Angola unearthed 9.7 million carats in 2023, a 24% surge from the prior year, with the northeastern provinces of Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul home to the mighty Catoca and Luele mines fueling 9% of global diamond output.
Yet, for miners like João, a garimpeiro in Lunda Sul, the dream of riches fades under armed guards and meager wages, replaced by despair, poverty, and false hope. Miners like João and their rough diamonds from Lunda Sul’s alluvial mines may end up in U.S. engagement rings, yet they see little of the profits due to exploitative supply chains.
Angola Diamond Life, the Human Experience
During Angola’s civil war (1975–2002), diamond mines were battlegrounds, with workers facing extreme dangers. One account from the 1990s describes illegal miners, known as garimpeiros, working under UNITA’s control in the Lunda provinces.
These workers, often undocumented immigrants, toiled in riverbeds “wearing only their underwear and clawing out stones with their hands under the watchful eyes of UNITA guards.” They earned meager wages, with UNITA pocketing up to $200 million annually from diamond sales in 1995 alone, leaving miners in poverty.
Though the civil war ended in 2002, modern accounts suggest persistent challenges. A 2015 report by Diamonds for Peace highlights the plight of artisanal miners across Africa, including Angola, where many are trapped in systems akin to modern slavery. Miners often rely on local investors who provide tools or funds but claim the rights to diamonds, buying them at below-market prices.
This leaves workers like João with median annual incomes as low as $300 for diggers and $1,044 for licensed miners. Human rights abuses, including child labor, forced labor, and violence, have been reported in Angola’s artisanal mining sector, though the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, adopted in 2002, has reduced some conflict-related abuses.
In July 2024, Angola introduced the Law to Combat Illegal Mining Activity to address the estimated 1.3 million illegal miners operating in the country, many of whom are foreign diamond prospectors. While this law aims to regulate the industry, it underscores the precarious conditions for informal workers, who face risks of exploitation and legal repercussions.
At formal operations like Catoca, workers undergo training as diamond sorters, a skilled role requiring precision. However, even in these settings, the environmental toll such as soil nutrient depletion and land segregation from road construction impacts local communities, including miners’ families.
July in Angola Diamond Mines
July in Angola’s diamond mines is a time of intense production, driven by the dry season’s favorable conditions. The Luele mine, which began production in November 2023, ramps up output, aiming for 3.5–4 million carats annually, potentially elevating Angola to the world’s third-largest diamond producer.
Workers at Luele and Catoca operate sophisticated equipment, from X-ray luminescence units to autogenous grinding mills, processing millions of tons of ore. Yet, for artisanal miners, July means long hours in riverbeds, often under harsh conditions, with little financial reward due to exploitative supply chains.
The economic stakes are high. Angola’s diamond revenue is projected to rise from $1.4 billion in 2024 to $2.1 billion in 2025, fueling the National Development Plan (2023–2027) to boost food security and employment.
However, as reported, 65% of Angolans live on less than a dollar a day, and economic growth has not translated into widespread development for mining communities. Miners, both formal and informal, remain on the fringes of this wealth, with millions of displaced people and former soldiers still living in camps plagued by malaria and dysentery.
Russia and Angola Diamond Mine Connections
Angola’s diamond industry has undergone significant reforms under President João Lourenço since 2017, with policies like the 2018 Private Investment Law encouraging foreign investment and transparency. The state-owned Endiama has shifted from industry control to a concessionaire role, and miners can now sell 60% of their output to companies of their choice, breaking Endiama’s monopoly. Yet, challenges persist.
The withdrawal of Russian company Alrosa from Catoca and Luele in 2024, due to sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, introduced new ownership by Oman’s Maden International Group, raising questions about future stability.
Environmental and social impacts also loom large. Kimberlite mining disrupts ecosystems, and artisanal mining often ignores environmental safeguards. Reports of human rights abuses, including alleged killings by private security forces during artisanal mining protests, highlight ongoing tensions. For workers, the promise of economic transformation remains distant, as wealth concentrates among politicians and foreign companies.
Hope Diamond of Angola
Working in Angola’s diamond mines in July 2025 reflects a dichotomy of hope, progress and struggle for informal mine workers like João. Formal miners at sites like Catoca and Luele operate advanced technology, contributing to Angola’s rising global status, while artisanal miners face exploitation and poverty, echoing historical injustices. The voices of garimpeiros from the 1990s, toiling under armed guards, resonate with today’s artisanal workers, who earn minimal wages in precarious conditions.
Angola’s ambition to produce 17.53 million carats by 2027 signals growth, but without equitable wealth distribution, miners’ lives may see little improvement. As Angola balances economic goals with human and environmental costs, the stories of its diamond mine workers demand greater attention to ensure their labor fuels not just global markets but also local hope.
