Russia sells shares in Angolan diamond mines

Angola has announced that Russian shares in two of its major diamond mines have been sold to an Omani-backed fund as a result of international sanctions. Russia’s diamond giant ALROSA was until now a joint owner of Angola’s Catoca mine, the fourth-largest in the world, and Luele mine, in partnership with the southern African nation’s state-owned company Endiama.

The European Union imposed sanctions on ALROSA, also state-owned, and its CEO in January as part of a ban on diamond imports over the Ukraine war. This led to a block on the commercialization of diamonds from Catcoa and Luele mines, Angola’s Minister of Mineral Resources and Petroleum Diamantino Azevedo.

After negotiations between the Angolan and Russian governments, as well as between Endiama and its partner, ALROSA has now officially ceased operating in Angola, Azevedo said. The minister added that Maden International Group, a subsidiary of the Sovereign Fund of the Sultanate of Oman, has replaced the company. He said the transition process was “already underway and should be conducted swiftly. The sale comes as the United States President Joe Biden was expected to travel to Angola on December 2.