Huambo – At least 298 fields have been cleared of mines in central Huambo province in the last 20 years by the British non-governmental organization The Halo Trust, ANGOP has learnt.
According to The Halo Trust's senior technician in Angola, João Baptista, who did not disclose the total area cleared, the majority were mines removed from bridges, agricultural fields, dams, railway lines, roads among others, laid during the armed conflict in Angola.
“The province of Huambo is practically free, with no areas to be cleared, and in a short time it will be declared mine-free, a great achievement that demonstrates that it is possible to put an end to these explosive devices throughout the national territory,” he said.
João Baptista said that in Angola, The Halo Trust has already cleared a total of 1,110 fields, precisely in several provinces such as Benguela, Bié, Cuando Cubango, and Huambo and, very recently, the start of operations in Huíla.
At the moment, Baptista said, the demining work in Benguela province is in its final phase and it will soon be declared mine-free.
Baptista stressed that the results have been achieved thanks to various donors, although support is still needed to reduce mines in many areas, which represents a problem that hampers local development.
He recalled that The Halo Trust has been in Angola since 1994, initially in Bié province, and later in Huambo, in 1996 in Benguela (1999) in Cuando Cubango (2002) and currently in Huíla.
At least 591 areas in Huambo province, covering 19.7 square meters of land were declared free of mines and explosive devices in April, after being catalogued between 2007 and 2023 by the National Mine Action Agency (ANAM).
These are steps towards fulfilling Angola's obligations as a state party of the 2014 Maputo Declaration, which envisages a mine-free world by December 2025.
This region of Angola, with a 35,771 square kilometers area, has an estimated population of more than 2.8 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
