U.S. Removes Sanctions Against Unita

U.S. President George Bush has lifted all sanctions against Angola’s former rebel group, UNITA. The lifting of sanctions, imposed by former U.S. President Bill Clinton between 1993 and 1998, now enables UNITA to conduct business with U.S. financial organizations.

In April last year, the Angolan government and UNITA signed a peace deal leading to the end of 25 years of civil war. “UNITA no longer posses an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States,” said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. The U.S. sanctions against UNITA included a ban on the sale of arms and the banning of illicitly mined diamonds, which the rebels used to fund their bloody battle against the Angolan Government.