Africa-Press – Angola. At least 207 explosive devices and 2,247 ammunitions of various calibers were destroyed on Tuesday in the municipality of Chicala-Cholohanga, central Huambo Province, by the National Demining Center (CND).
These include anti-personnel mines, grenades, projectiles and other ammunitions and ordnances, collected and voluntarily surrendered by the population between December 2025 and January of this year, mainly in the municipalities of Bailundo, Caála, Chicala-Cholohanga, Ecunha and Huambo.
In statements to the press, the head of the provincial department of the CND, Castro Kapanda, informed that some of the weapons were removed from hiding places at the base of the Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FALA), the former armed wing of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), collected following reports from the population, in a joint action with the defence and security forces.
He stated that all known minefields in the province, according to the survey conducted in 2004, totaling 263 fields at the time, have already been completely cleared of mines.
However, he said that recently, new minefields have been identified, totaling 11 cataloged, located in the municipalities of Bailundo, Bimbe, and Mungo, which will probably begin to be cleared next March.
The official reiterated the Angolan government’s commitment to declaring Angola free of mines by 2027, hence the combined effort of all parties involved in the process.
Castro Kapanda highlighted the existing cooperation between the National Defence Commission (CND), the defence and security forces, and related non-governmental organizations working in the demining sector in Angola, in order to achieve this objective.
He added that there is a need to strengthen community awareness about the risks and dangers of mines in villages, as well as to encourage the continuous reporting of suspected areas.
The province of Huambo has an area of 35,771 square kilometers and comprises 17 municipalities with 2,691,902 inhabitants. It was once considered one of the most heavily mined regions in the country due to the armed conflict.
