Cape Town (South Africa), Jul 16 (AP) Prince Harry made a poignant visit to Angola on Tuesday, joining a land mine-clearing charity in an effort reminiscent of his late mother's well-known trip in 1997. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, met with Angolan President Joao Lourenco at the outset of his visit, according to a statement released by the Halo Trust, an organisation dedicated to removing land mines from former warzones.
In January 1997, Princess Diana famously visited Angola with the Halo Trust, just seven months before her tragic death in a car accident in Paris. She became a symbol of land mine advocacy during that trip, when she was photographed wearing protective gear as she walked through an active minefield during a lull in Angola’s lengthy civil war. Her efforts played a crucial role in rallying support for a treaty banning land mines later that year.
This isn't Prince Harry's first engagement with the Halo Trust's mission. He also traveled to southern Africa in 2019 to support land mine clearing projects. British media noted that Harry made this week's journey to Angola without his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
Halo Trust CEO James Cowan stated on Tuesday that during a meeting with Lourenco, he and Harry discussed ongoing demining initiatives in Angola and expressed gratitude to the president for his continued backing. Angola's past is scarred by a 27-year civil war that raged from 1975 to 2002, interspersed with brief and fragile intervals of peace.
The Halo Trust estimates approximately 80,000 Angolans have been either killed or injured by land mines during the war and its aftermath, although precise numbers remain elusive. As of the end of 2024, the organisation reported over 1,000 minefields spanning an estimated 67 square kilometers that still require clearing. Angola is striving to be land mine-free by 2025. (AP) PY PY
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