Two illegal diamond miners killed in Angola

Two reportedly illegal diamonds miners were killed in clashes between protesters and Angolan security forces who they blamed for the deaths of other illegal diamond miners. The protests were staged in Calonda, in Lunda Norte province, after reports that 17 illegal miners had died in a diamond mine. The demonstrators argued these 17 miners had been killed by police, or by the mine's security forces.

Calonda’s police commissioner Alfredo Quintino Lourenco Nilo said the crowd had attacked the local police chief's house and also burned the home of the traditional village chief.

"Police had to use firearms to disperse the crowd," he told the local press. He confirmed that two demonstrators had died during the disturbances. About 40 people were arrested and were still being questioned Monday, he added.

The region, near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo, has been tense since the Angolan government launched a drive in October to end widespread illegal mining for diamonds. So far, about 700,000 people have been forced to leave, according to the most recent figures given by Interior Minister Angelo da Viegas Tavares.