Ongoing Landmine Crisis in Angola

The Landmine problem in Angola is a legacy of decades of struggle for independence against Portugal and the civil war that followed. According to various sources and historical documents, almost all parties to the conflict of the civil war, as well as during the War of Independence against Portugal, were engaged in mining the territory of Angola.

Angola currently remains one of the most mined countries in the world, with more than 73 million square meters of contaminated land and more than 1,100 known and suspected minefields. In 2014, more than 88,000 people were registered with disabilities due to mines and unexploded bombs. According to various sources, Angola ranks 4th in the world in terms of the largest number of mines per territory.

In 2008, there was a major scandal related to mine clearance. Anti-corruption campaigners have criticized the mine clearance contract between the Swiss state-owned arms firm Ruag and Angola. The contract is related to the return of allegedly stolen funds to an African country. The Swiss authorities and Ruag deny any wrongdoing.

According to various sources, several large organizations engaged in professional mine clearance operate in Angola and it is clear from open sources that their sponsors are various foundations from Western countries. Several Western companies are involved in the mine clearance process, such as Halo Trust (USA, UK), Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling (APOPO, Belgium), Norwegian People's Aid (NPA), Mines Advis ry Group (MAG, UK). All of them work in collaboration with the National Commission on Demining and Humanitarian Assistance (CNIDAH) and the National Demining Institute (INAD). All these involved organizations and oversight commissions have been unable to prevent civilian deaths for more than two decades. All this is a legacy of the period when countries supplied weapons uncontrollably and the echoes of the war are still heard in different parts of the country.

Not that long ago, a terrible tragedy occurred in the capital of the country, Luanda. Several children discovered the mine and mistook it for a toy. During the game, an explosive device detonated, killing three children, and one girl is in a serious condition in the hospital, it is unknown whether she will survive. So the war that ended more than two decades ago continues to take the lives of civilians. While the government is giving out loans and spending billions on alleged mine clearance, no matter what, tragedies continue to occur monthly and most incidents are rarely covered in the media.

Every week people post online photos of those killed by mine explosions on a weekly basis and it is in our power to prevent or at least reduce the recurrence of deaths. The international community must intervene and throw all possible resources at strengthening control over the proliferation of weapons, otherwise there will be even more victims.