Africa-Press – Angola. Forty-two areas, corresponding to around three million square meters, are still to be demined in the province of Bengo, revealed this Friday, in Caxito, the director general of the National Mine Action Agency (ANAM) , Leonardo Severino Sapalo.
Speaking to the press at the end of a visit to the province, he said that control of these remnants constitutes a concern that must be eliminated so that the region can follow its natural path without any obstacles from explosives.
According to the official, Angola still has a universe of 1,039 areas to be demined by 2025, which represents 70 million square meters of surface.
To eliminate these areas, around 238 million US dollars would be needed, he said.
Even with this value, he said, it does not mean that Angola will be completely free of mines, because the mine that was built in the national territory is still unknown.
In this regard, he revealed that after the known or identified areas have been eliminated, they will move on to the “residual demining” phase in which the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) will be engaged.
He pointed out the provinces of Cuando Cubango, Moxico, Bié and Cuanza-Sul as being the districts of the country with the highest concentration of mines and other explosive devices.
The provinces of Huambo, Namibe, Uíge, Zaire and Bengo have minimum indicators, in terms of areas with mines, he said.
He defended the need to mobilize national and international resources to achieve demining by 2025, a deadline that Angola should meet within the framework of the Ottawa Convention.
“There are deadlines that Angola should meet by 2025, which will not be possible. In this context, we are preparing a dossier to be sent to the Ottawa Convention, in order to find out if it is possible for us to continue working for a maximum of another 5 years”, he highlighted.
In Bengo, the general director of ANAM x-rayed the mine action situation in the province, assessed the operational level of local operators and the work done on the triangle’s electrification route.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
