Luanda, Aug. 5, 2026 (Lusa) — The United States Chargé d'Affaires stated on Wednesday that the US partnership with Angola «has never been stronger» and highlighted the investment of $160 million (€139 million) in the clearance of more than 100,000 landmines in the country since 1994.
The statement was made by US Chargé d'Affaires in Angola, Shannon Cazeau, at the opening ceremony of the second meeting of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee between the two countries (DEFCOM), at the Ministry of Defence in Luanda.
«Our partnership has never been stronger,» said the diplomat, noting that the bilateral relationship, «once distant», had evolved over the past decade into «a partnership based on mutual respect, growing economic cooperation and shared interests».
According to Cazeau, the mine-clearance effort, funded by the United States, «should make Angola mine-free by the end of this decade».
She highlighted that more than 60 US companies are currently operating in Angola, investing «billions of dollars in the country's future», and that, through the Lobito Corridor, Washington is mobilising more than $1 billion in public and private funding for infrastructure projects.
She stated that the US government is also supporting the modernisation of the Angolan armed forces through the procurement of defence equipment compatible with NATO standards, in collaboration with companies such as Oshkosh Defense, GM Defense and Bell/Textron.
She highlighted the strengthening of military relations, formalised by the recent admission of an Angolan cadet to the United States Air Force Academy and the establishment of a State Partnership Programme with the Ohio National Guard.
She also praised Angola's role in regional diplomacy, from the Luanda Process and the presidency of the African Union in 2025 to the Washington Agreements in December, which she described as a «call for peace and stability in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)».
«The relationship between the United States and Angola has never been stronger,» the diplomat reiterated, arguing that defence cooperation is based «on frank and open dialogue between equal partners».
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