Angola

During Angola’s 27-year civil war, millions of families faced starvation or were forced to flee their homes. When the fighting ended in 2002, landmines and explosives littered fields, villages and towns, killing and injuring thousands. In all, 76 different types of landmines have been found across the country.

We have been clearing mines in Angola since 1994. Two decades after the end of the civil war, the remaining minefields largely affect rural communities adding to their poverty, isolation and under-development.

Since 1994 we have destroyed over 118,000 landmines in Angola. Initially we focused on removing landmines in regional capitals and towns, such as Huambo, which Princess Diana visited in 1997 and is now a thriving city. Entire provinces, including Huambo and Benguela, are now landmine free.

Today, our work is focused in rural areas, clearing mines that have plagued communities for over 30 years. Safe land allows access to vital resources like water. Minefields can become fields of crops, houses can be built and livestock grazed without fear of accidents. 

In 2020, a unique project in partnership with the Angolan government began with the aim to clear landmines in the Okavango headwaters—a World Heritage Site, which forms part of the five-country Kavango-Zambezi Trans Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA). Here, landmines make it almost impossible to conserve and protect the habitat and wildlife poaching is rife. By clearing the mines, we can lay the foundations for conservation-led development, allowing wildlife and local people to thrive. To date, over 120 minefields have been cleared.

We are playing an important role in the 21st Century development of Angola by clearing landmines in the strategic Lobito Corridor, where foreign investment in transport links will have a transformative impact on Angola's economy once the minefields are cleared.

In partnership with the Angolan police and military, we have also destroyed thousands of unwanted weapons and tons of ammunition, reducing the risk of armed violence or unplanned explosions. Finally, we keep people safe by teaching risk education—preventing devastating accidents until we can remove all the landmines and explosives for good.

HALO Angola has been the pioneer of female empowerment programs in demining, growing from three percent of staff in 2017 to 44 percent in 2024. Filomena joined HALO seven years ago, after watching deminers clear mines from around her village in Benguela. She has risen through the organization to become a Sub-Unit Commander, leading her own teams in the minefield. Her role gives her skills, status and a secure income, allowing her to support her two young daughters.