Angola gets USD11.1 million donation from US for demining

Angola gets an additional donation of USD11.1 million from the United States government for new humanitarian demining and arms stock control management projects, according to a news report by Angola Press.

According to a note that ANGOP has had access, since 1995 and with increased funding in 2020, the US has so far contributed over USD 145 million to these efforts in Angola and is the biggest bilateral donor to the humanitarian demining process in the country.

They strongly support the government's goal of safely clearing all minefields by 2025.

Ambassador Nina Fite said, "25 years of committed US support for humanitarian demining has resulted in the destruction of more than 218,000 landmines and other explosive devices, as well as the safe return of more than 463 square kilometers of land to the people of Angola," the note said.

The additional investment reinforces the decades of a close US-Angola partnership that will include USD 8.6 million in funding to support humanitarian demining by the NGO HALO Trust (HALO) and to expand the operational capacity of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) organization.

Fourteen mine clearance teams have cleared fields classified as a high priority and former battle areas in Bié, Cuando Cubango and Mexico provinces, operations in Cuando Cubango will focus on the Okavango River basin.

Overall, the projects aim to return more than 4.2 square kilometers of land to productive use and destroy over 9,600 explosive devices, which will benefit the security and protection of over 48,000 Angolans.

HALO and MAG are funded USD 2.5 million to destroy obsolete weapons, explosive devices, and ammunition, as well as to improve the physical security of ammunition depots.