Huambo – A total of 591 areas covering 19.7 million square meters of land have been declared free of mine and explosive device contamination in central Huambo province, the director-general of the National Mine Action Agency (ANAM), Leonardo Sapalo, told ANGOP Wednesday.
Leonardo Sapalo disclosed the information during a consultation with the Huambo provincial authorities on the demining process in communities’ free of mined areas.
Mr Sapalo said 14,438 mines, of which 14,144 anti-personnel mines and 294 anti-tank mines, as well as 11,259 unexploded ordnance have been removed.
He added that following the survey of the impact of mines on communities, which catalogued the areas from 2007 to the present day, numerous demining actions have been carried out by various public, non-governmental and private operators to eliminate the mines in the areas identified.
The deputy governor for Technical Services and Infrastructure of Huambo province, Elmano Francisco on his turn, recalled that this region of the country was not spared by the decades-long armed conflict, which resulted in the destruction of various socio-economic infrastructures, now being rebuilt.
The National Mine Action Agency (ANAM) is an Angolan institution that coordinates, regulates and supervises all demining activities in the country.
With an area of 35,771 square kilometers, Huambo has an estimated population of more than 2.7 million inhabitants, spread across the municipalities of Bailundo, Caála, Cachiungo, Chicala-Cholohanga, Chinjenje, Ecunha, Huambo, Londuimbali, Longonjo, Mungo and Ucuma. ZZN/JSV/ALH/TED/AMP
