Huambo Province, home to Huambo city, Angola's third most populated is now 'practically free' of landmines according to Joao Baptista from the Halo Trust–a British NGO who began de-mining operations in the country in 1994..An estimated 298 mine fields have been cleared in the province, with hopes that "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," said Baptista..What You Need to Know.The Angolan Civil War, which began in 1975–shortly after the nation became independent from Portugal–and ended formally in 2002, has its origins in a power struggle between the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Union for the total Independence of Angola (UNITA)..Both liberation movements, the MPLA found its ideological basis in communist literature, while UNITA was staunchly anti-communist..Supported by South Africa, UNITA attempted to take on the Cuban and Russian-backed MPLA, resulting in a 27-year-long conflict during which an estimated 9-15 million landmines were planted, according to documents from a 1996 United Nations Mine Clearance and Policy Unit (UN MCPU) report..Since 1994, the Halo Trust has worked on de-mining the country, having cleared an estimated 1,110 minefields across the territory and destroying almost 100,000 landmines in the process..However, according to the Anti-personnel Landmines Detection Product Development (APOPO), a non-profit organization that began work in Angola in 2012, there is a long way to go until the country is able to meet its objective of becoming mine-free by 2025 as set out by the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC)..Ratifying the convention in 2002, Angola has sought to de-mine its entire territory by 2025, although the nation's current resources and capacities have made meeting this objective on time unlikely..So, What Now?.Despite the fact that Angola may not meet its 2025 de-mining goal, the major progress made in the nation must still be noted..De-mining operations require substantial financial and human support, something which Baptista highlighted as a problem which hampers local development.
Huambo Province, home to Huambo city, Angola's third most populated is now 'practically free' of landmines according to Joao Baptista from the Halo Trust–a British NGO who began de-mining operations in the country in 1994..An estimated 298 mine fields have been cleared in the province, with hopes that "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," said Baptista..What You Need to Know.The Angolan Civil War, which began in 1975–shortly after the nation became independent from Portugal–and ended formally in 2002, has its origins in a power struggle between the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Union for the total Independence of Angola (UNITA)..Both liberation movements, the MPLA found its ideological basis in communist literature, while UNITA was staunchly anti-communist..Supported by South Africa, UNITA attempted to take on the Cuban and Russian-backed MPLA, resulting in a 27-year-long conflict during which an estimated 9-15 million landmines were planted, according to documents from a 1996 United Nations Mine Clearance and Policy Unit (UN MCPU) report..Since 1994, the Halo Trust has worked on de-mining the country, having cleared an estimated 1,110 minefields across the territory and destroying almost 100,000 landmines in the process..However, according to the Anti-personnel Landmines Detection Product Development (APOPO), a non-profit organization that began work in Angola in 2012, there is a long way to go until the country is able to meet its objective of becoming mine-free by 2025 as set out by the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC)..Ratifying the convention in 2002, Angola has sought to de-mine its entire territory by 2025, although the nation's current resources and capacities have made meeting this objective on time unlikely..So, What Now?.Despite the fact that Angola may not meet its 2025 de-mining goal, the major progress made in the nation must still be noted..De-mining operations require substantial financial and human support, something which Baptista highlighted as a problem which hampers local development.
