Diamang was created under the auspices of Portugal, Angola's then colonial master, with further investment from other European nations. The region was mainly stable under colonial rule, but after independence in 1975, Angola was engulfed in civil war. This led to increased and unplanned population growth in the country's mining towns as people fled the insecurity of the countryside. In 1978 the Angolan government created the province of Lunda Norte and established the nearby town of Lucapa as the provincial capital. Up-until 1980 the mines south-east of Dundo annually produced close to 10 percent of the world's total gem-quality supply of diamonds.