Luanda, June 18, 2025 (Lusa) - Angola will request, for the third time, a five-year extension to the deadline for ridding itself of anti-personnel mines, as required by Article 5 of the Ottawa Convention, the Angolan government announced on Wednesday.
According to a note from the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Mine Action Agency (ANAM) will submit the formal request during the 22nd meeting of the States Parties to the Convention, to be held between December 1–5 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Portuguese-speaking country has planned to extend the deadline from 2026–2030, given that the current deadline expires on December 31 this year.
According to ANAM Director-General Brigadier Leonardo Sapalo, the request is justified on the basis of a pre-established programme, which was presented on March 28 this year and was supported by Angola’s partners in the fight against mines, namely the engineering and infrastructure department of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), the national demining centre, the non-governmental organisations APACOminas, Norwegian People’s Aid, APOPO, The HALO Trust, MAG and the multilateral affairs department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Leonardo Sapalo pointed out that there are 975 identified mined areas in the country, covering 57,905,679 square metres, mainly in the provinces of Bié, Cuando, Cubango, Cuanza Sul, Moxico and Moxico Leste.
He noted that the provinces of Luanda, Icolo and Bengo, Benguela, Huambo, Zaire, Namibe, Cuanza Norte, Uíje and Malanje have reduced contamination and are close to being declared free of known mined areas.
According to Leonardo Sapalo, a work plan has been designed to implement this request, in line with the National Development Plan (PDN 2023–2027), the National Strategic Action Plan against Mines (2026–2030) and the Siem Reap-Angkor Action Plan (2025–2029).
“These plans give us the consistency to clear all areas listed in the national mine action database, as well as possible new areas, and to maintain the safety and protection of communities,” said the director general of ANAM, quoted in the note.
Angola has been a signatory to the Ottawa Convention since 1997, a document it ratified on July 5, 2002, which entered into force in Angolan territory on January 1, 2003.
Initially, Angola committed to destroying or ensuring the destruction of all anti-personnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction as soon as possible and no later than 31 December 2012, the statement said.
On March 30, 2012, Angola submitted its first request for an extension of the deadline, for a period of five years (2013–2017).
At the end of the first extension period, the Portuguese-speaking country submitted a second request for an eight-year extension, which was accepted at the 12th meeting of the States Parties, where a new deadline was set from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2025.
“With only a few months to go before the end of the period, and with a significant number of areas still to be cleared, Angola is forced to submit a third request for a further five years, from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2030,” the note said.
Angola, which endured a civil war lasting almost three decades, is one of the countries in the world with the largest area still contaminated by landmines.
Angolan President João Lourenço wants the country to be free of mines by 2027 and announced in October 2024 that around US$240 million (€220 million) will be invested in the demining programme over the next two years.
NME/AYLS // AYLS
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