Landmines Are Still a Huge Problem

Landmines do not care who they target. Woman, girl, man or boy, the impact they have transcends entire communities. Statistics show the risk of physical injury falls disproportionately on men and boys, but women and girls are more vulnerable to the indirect impact of landmines — economically, socially and emotionally.

– The HALO Trust

Do you remember that iconic photo of Princess Diana, wearing a face shield and standing in a minefield in Angola?

That photo was taken in 1997, eight months before she died. Much has changed in the world in since her death more than two decades ago. Unfortunately, land mines continue to be a significant danger for thousands of people.

Diana’s 1997 visit to Angola was extremely effective in terms of raising global awareness of the plight of landmine victims and the indiscriminate nature of the weapons. As you may recall, many countries came together later that year to sign the Mine Ban Treaty in Ottawa.

Despite the Treaty’s huge success in stopping landmine production and transfer, the HALO Trust, which is the world’s largest humanitarian mine clearance organisation, says the Treaty’s proposed 2025 deadline for a mine-free world will not be met without a substantial increase in funding for mine clearance.

More than 20 years after Diana’s visit, landmines are still killing Angola’s children.

The harsh reality is that mines and unexploded ordnance are still harming civilians and hindering development in Angola—and in 63 other countries and territories around the world.

Since Diana’s 1997 visit, the HALO Trust has destroyed more than 95,000 landmines in Angola, cleared 840 minefields, and disposed of 164,000 shells, missiles and bombs safely. There are 680 minefields remaining in the ten provinces where they work. The group estimates that it will take an additional $60 million to clear all the remaining minefields, in order to honour its commitment to the 1997 Landmine Ban Treaty to clear all landmines on its territory before a 2025 deadline.

The minefield where Diana walked is now a thriving community with housing, a carpentry workshop, a small college and a school. But there is still much to be done. Most of the cities in Angola have been cleared but rural areas remain heavily mined and over 40% of the population lives in the countryside.

A sharp decline in international assistance has forced HALO to reduce its local demining teams from 1,200 personnel to just 250 in the last few years. Today, fleets of armoured vehicles and specialist equipment are inactive due to lack of funds. Hundreds of trained Angolan de-miners are now unemployed.

Meanwhile, estimates for the total number of casualties from landmines and explosive items in Angola vary considerably, from 23,000 to 80,000. The size of the country and length of its conflict have hindered efforts to keep reliable records.

The slow progress of Angola clearance contrasts with that of Mozambique, which was finally declared free of mines in 2015 after 22 years of work by HALO and other operators.