Prince Harry follows in mother Diana's footsteps with landmine walk in Angola
Prince Harry met families living in a village in Cuito Cuanavale in Angola, near the world’s largest minefield, as part of HALO's community outreach program.
Prince Harry followed in his late mother Princess Diana’s footsteps on Wednesday by wearing a flak jacket and walking down a path in an active land minefield in Angola to raise awareness for HALO Trust, a charity working on clearing explosives from old war zones.
Princess Diana was also working with the same organisation when she went to the southern African nation in January 1997 and walked through the active minefield, bringing international attention to the threat posed by the weapon to civilians. Her trip came just seven months before she was killed in a car crash in Paris.
The Duke of Sussex met families living in a remote village in Cuito Cuanavale in southern Angola, near the world’s largest minefield, as part of HALO's community outreach program. It's not the first time he has retraced his mother's steps after travelling to Angola for a similar awareness campaign in 2019.
“Children should never have to live in fear of playing outside or walking to school. Here in Angola, over three decades later, the remnants of war still threaten lives every day,” Prince Harry said.
The younger brother of the Prince of Wales William thanked the Angolan government for its ‘powerful commitment’ to the cause of clearing the landmines.
{{/usCountry}}The younger brother of the Prince of Wales William thanked the Angolan government for its ‘powerful commitment’ to the cause of clearing the landmines.
{{/usCountry}}“The Angolan government’s continued commitment is a powerful testament to HALO's success in saving lives and reducing humanitarian risk. We thank President Lourenço for his leadership and partnership, as well as continued donor support as we work together towards completing the mission of a landmine-free country,” he added.
Princess Diana’s contribution to the anti-landmine cause
{{/usCountry}}“The Angolan government’s continued commitment is a powerful testament to HALO's success in saving lives and reducing humanitarian risk. We thank President Lourenço for his leadership and partnership, as well as continued donor support as we work together towards completing the mission of a landmine-free country,” he added.
Princess Diana’s contribution to the anti-landmine cause
{{/usCountry}}Princess Diana's advocacy and the images of her walking through a minefield in January 1997 helped mobilise support for a land mine ban treaty that was ratified later that year.
{{/usCountry}}Princess Diana's advocacy and the images of her walking through a minefield in January 1997 helped mobilise support for a land mine ban treaty that was ratified later that year.
{{/usCountry}}The land mines across Angola were left behind from its 27-year civil war from 1975 to 2002. The HALO Trust says at least 60,000 people have been killed or injured by land mines since 2008.
The charity has located and destroyed over 120,000 land mines and 100,000 other explosive devices in Angola since it started work in the country in 1994, but 1,000 minefields still need to be cleared.
