Africa-Press – Angola. A total of 16 fields are now free of mines, which corresponds to five million square meters, as part of the Mine Action Program, which ran between 2021 and September this year, the operator’s manager announced Friday. of Apopo demining.
Manuel Agostinho revealed the data to the delegation of the financing entity, headed by the coordinator of the Japanese community assistance project, Ayumi Komatsy, who noted, between the 4th and 6th of this month, the progress of demining tasks in the different communities of the province, with emphasis on the locations already demined and others in progress, such as Bango and Capolocososso, both in the municipality of Ebo, Calonga, Quipungo and Salinas, in the municipality of Amboim, the process of which is in charge of the demining operator Apopo. The Apopo manager said that the results and impact of the demining operation carried out in this period are already being felt, with the resettlement and resumption of agricultural activities for a universe of 23 thousand peasant families as direct beneficiaries, and 80 thousand families indirectly, in the municipalities of Sumbe, Amboim, Porto Amboim, Cela, Ebo and Libolo.
Manuel Agostinho said that 95 mine fields have already been cataloged in the 12 municipalities of the province of Cuanza-Sul, which corresponds to seven million and 500 square meters, and the forecast for completing the demining of the identified fields points to 2026.
“We are working hard so that by 2026 we can complete the demining of the fields already identified in the 12 municipalities of the province of Cuanza-Sul”, he said, highlighting that Apopo has an integrated operational capacity, based on the use of deminers, heavy machinery, in addition to rats prepared in Tanzania to help locate explosive devices.
Regarding costs, Manuel Agostinho guaranteed the availability of one million euros, financed by Belgium, in 2022, for a period of five years, in addition to the guarantee from other anonymous donors, resulting from the presentation of needs that has been made by Apopo, in basis of their studies and specific tasks in response to information from communities.
The head of Apopo highlighted the need to provide a quick service, in order to respond to the needs of peasant families, who want to carry out agricultural activities without fear of triggering an unexploded explosive device. “We are doing rapid work that allows us to demine one million square meters per year, and if we double our work capacity we will do much more, responding to the clamor of peasant families who want to develop agriculture in current potential mine areas ”, he stressed.
Manuel Agostinho was optimistic regarding new donor interventions, given the results achieved and the actions to be developed until 2026, when the aim is to see Cuanza-Sul off the list of the most mined provinces in the country.
Demining and awareness
The person responsible for the operator Apopo made it known that, alongside the demining process, awareness sessions are also taking place on the risk of mines in communities, as a result of the support provided by the Government of Japan.
“As a result of the support received from the Government of Japan, in a global amount of around 500 thousand US dollars, and one million euros, donated by the Kingdom of Belgium, it allows us to carry out demining and education actions on the risks of explosive devices in municipalities of Amboim and Ebo, tasks that will end in the first quarter of next year”, he said, highlighting that in coordination with the local administrative authorities, commitment is demonstrated within the plan and schedules of recommended activities.
Manuel Agostinho considered that the demining work taking place in Cuanza-Sul will provide greater security among the population, due to the fact that the province is among the most mined in the country.
“Apopo is working on the demining process, aware that it will contribute to ensuring the safety of the population, since the province of Cuanza-Sul is on the list of the most mined in the country”, he said.
History of the demining process in the province
With the visit made to Cuanza-Sul by the Japanese ambassador to Angola, Maruhashi Jiro, in November last year, the foundations of the demining process were laid in the different locations of the province, with the availability of the second tranche of financing, and in a short time less than a year satisfactory results were achieved.
Apopo, a Non-Governmental Organization founded in Belgium and installed in Angola since 2014, is focused on developing products for removing landmines, mainly anti-personnel mines.
The initial actions consisted of preparing human resources and material resources, having operated in the provinces of Malanje, Zaire and Uíge, and, in 2020, installed its offices in the city of Gabela, in the municipality of Amboim, where it began demining and education on the risks of explosive devices in Cuanza-Sul, being the fourth most mined province in the country, behind Cuando Cubango, Moxico and Bié, as a result of the political-military situation that unfolded until April 2002, when the Complementary Memorandum of Understanding to the Lusaka Protocol.
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