Luanda – Angolan Government has been paying a special attention to the landmine issue, especially in demining, including tracking, removal and destruction of explosives, including awareness campaigns and signalling of mined or suspect areas, assistance and reintegration of victims.

This was stated by the president of  National Inter-Sectoral Commission for De-mining and Humanitarian Assistance (CNIDAH), Santana André Pitra “Petroff”.

The official was chairing Monday in Luanda the opening of the National Conference on Landmines Combat, going until Tuesday under the motto “For Landmine-free Angola”.

After mentioning the Government’s effort to free Angola from landmines, the CNIDAH official recalled that in 2004 the country presented a terrible picture in terms of its mine impact.

He quoted 1,5 million square kilometres of land as having been affected, against a landmine clearing capacity of 10 square kilometres per year.

During the above mentioned period, he added, about 2.2 million Angolan citizens were directly or indirectly affected by landmines, non-detonated explosive devices, obsolete war equipment and 50 percent of communities had limited  access to farming zones.

In order to reverse the situation, he said, the Government invested in the creation of the new brigades of military engineering and re-equipped those already existing, the private operators and some international NGOs, thus enabling the operation to reach 80 percent.

 
The official stressed that a realistic plan for 2006 and 2011, has also been put in place with a view to assisting the return and resettlement of displaced people estimated at 4.0 million, ensuring basic physic security of the population, through de-mining, reducing of food insecurity and re-launch of rural economy.

 
The meeting jointly promoted by the National Inter-Sectoral Commission for De-mining and Humanitarian Assistance and  UN Development Programme (UNDP), is intended to discuss the work so far done in Angola, as part of the actions against landmine dangers.