The information was transmitted by the general director of the National Agency for Mine Action (ANAM) of Angola, Leonardo Sapalo.
"Obviously, any suspension has some implications because it was not a planned suspension, it was an immediate, quick suspension with immediate execution, of course one is surprised", said the official in statements to Lusa this Friday.
According to Leonardo Sapalo, ANAM has already taken some measures to adapt the operational demining plan so that international NGOs can continue developing their activities, mainly because they do not have just one donor.
Demining actions in Angola are mainly concentrated in known areas, especially in the provinces of Moxico, Moxico Leste, Bié, Bengo and Cuanza Norte, "where there is the greatest funding", he explained.
US President Donald Trump recently decided to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and consequently suspend US aid to various sectors, including NGOs working in the demining sector.
Leonardo Sapalo also assured continuous work for demining in Angola, highlighting that the body he heads must continue, throughout 2025, to demine known areas and beyond, the technical-professional training of operators and awareness campaigns on the danger of mines.
The Demining Brigade of the Angolan Armed Forces, demining brigades of the National Demining Center, NGO APUAKO Minas, The Halo Trust, Popular Aid of Norway, AMAG and the NGO APOPO are the organizations operating in this process.
The President of the Republic wants the country to be free of mines by 2027 and announced in October 2024 that around 240 million dollars will be invested in the next two years in the demining program.
Angola, which experienced a civil war lasting almost three decades, is one of the countries in the world with the largest territorial extension still contaminated by landmines.
