Angola

Angola has continued to strengthen and restructure its mine action programme. The transition from the National Intersectoral Commission on Demining and Humanitarian Assistance (CNIDAH) into the National Mine Action Agency (ANAM) was completed in 2021. In 2022, the Executive Commission for Demining (CED), together with all the public operators that had been working under it, was dissolved and replaced by the National Demining Centre (CND). This restructuring is intended to remedy the longstanding challenges Angola has faced in consolidating its oversight over its mine action data and operations. Some of the demining tasks conducted by the CND in support for the development projects were still being recorded outside of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database in 2022. But ANAM expected the CND to start working on releasing mined areas inside the IMSMA database in 2023, with a view to a full integration once its land release practices become fully compliant to the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS).

Angola released nearly 13.81km² of anti-personnel (AP) mined area in 2022,There is a discrepancy between land release data reported by operators and data reported in Angola’s Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) Article 7 transparency report. According to the latter, Angola released 13.75km2 of AP mined area in 2022, of which, 3.14km2 was cancelled through non-technical survey (NTS), 4.73km2 reduced through technical survey (TS), and 5.88km2 cleared. According to operator data, a total of 16.04km2 of AP mined area was released in 2022. Of this, 5.84km2 was reported as cancelled through NTS, 4.73km2 reduced through TS, and 5.47km2 cleared. falling 3.25km² short of the 2022 target for land release in Angola’s 2020–25 Article 5 work plan. In addition, almost 4.4km² of AP mined area was added to the database in 2022, and it is likely that additional contamination will continue to be found as operators gain more access to remote areas. With the currently established contamination baseline, Angola will need to release at least 23km² per year over the next three years if it is to meet its current Article 5 deadline.

In July 2023, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) published a new country strategy for Angola for 2023–25. The strategy foresaw the completion of all mapped contamination in the provinces of Bengo, Cuanza Norte, Uige, and Zaire by December 2025. NPA believes that country-wide clearance may not be feasible by Angola’s Article 5 deadline of end-December 2025.

• Angola should continue to impress upon all operators the importance of applying proper land release principles to reduce clearance of uncontaminated areas.
• Angola should continue the consolidation of its mine action structures and integrate all survey and clearance data, including those of the newly created public operator, CND, into the IMSMA database.
• Angola should replace its draft resource mobilisation strategy and increase its international advocacy to attract new and former donors.
• Angola should continue developing and applying its National Mine Action Standards (NMAS).
• Angola should declare as completed each province where land release of all mined areas has been achieved.
• Angola should finalise its national strategy on the management of residual contamination.

Click here to download the "Clearing the Mines 2023" report for Angola.