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Harry walks through Angola minefield 22 years after Diana | Harry walks through Angola minefield 22 years after Diana |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The Duke of Sussex has walked through a partially-cleared minefield in Angola to highlight the threat posed by landmines, 22 years after his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, did the same. | The Duke of Sussex has walked through a partially-cleared minefield in Angola to highlight the threat posed by landmines, 22 years after his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, did the same. |
Prince Harry wore body armour as he walked through the ex-artillery base near the south-eastern town of Dirico. | Prince Harry wore body armour as he walked through the ex-artillery base near the south-eastern town of Dirico. |
He also set off a controlled explosion to destroy a landmine. | He also set off a controlled explosion to destroy a landmine. |
Diana captured global attention in 1997 when she walked through a live minefield in the country. | Diana captured global attention in 1997 when she walked through a live minefield in the country. |
The princess was accompanied on the visit to Huambo in central Angola by the British landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust, which also showed Harry the minefield near Dirico. | |
Anti-government forces mined the Dirico site in 2000 when they retreated from their base. | |
In 2005, a 13-year-old girl lost a foot after stepping on one of the explosive devices in the area. | |
Halo Trust staff have been working to make the minefield safe since August and hope to clear it by the end of October. | |
Prince Harry was given a safety briefing and told not to stray off the cleared lanes, not to touch anything or run. | Prince Harry was given a safety briefing and told not to stray off the cleared lanes, not to touch anything or run. |
In a speech, the duke said the Halo Trust was helping the community "find peace". | |
"Landmines are an unhealed scar of war. By clearing the landmines we can help this community find peace, and with peace comes opportunity," he said. | "Landmines are an unhealed scar of war. By clearing the landmines we can help this community find peace, and with peace comes opportunity," he said. |
"Additionally, we can protect the diverse and unique wildlife that relies on the beautiful Kuito river that I slept beside last night." | "Additionally, we can protect the diverse and unique wildlife that relies on the beautiful Kuito river that I slept beside last night." |
The prince called for an international effort to clear landmines from the Okavango watershed in the Angolan highlands, where the weapons remain 17 years after the end of a civil war. | |
The conflict - between 1975 and 2002 - has left Angola one of the most mined places in the world, with around 1,200 minefields, according to the Halo Trust. | |
The organisation says it has decommissioned almost 100,000 mines since 1994 but it is impossible to know exactly how many remain. | |
There are two main types of mine: anti-personnel landmines, aimed at killing or injuring people, and anti-tank mines, designed to destroy vehicles. | There are two main types of mine: anti-personnel landmines, aimed at killing or injuring people, and anti-tank mines, designed to destroy vehicles. |
The random placement of the explosive devices became part of military strategy in the 1960s. | |
Around 50 years later, about 60 countries and territories are still contaminated with anti-personnel mines. | |
More than 120,000 people were killed or injured by landmines between 1999-2017, according to research by Landmine Monitor. | More than 120,000 people were killed or injured by landmines between 1999-2017, according to research by Landmine Monitor. |
Civilians made up 87% of casualties, while nearly half of the victims were children. | Civilians made up 87% of casualties, while nearly half of the victims were children. |
Camille Wallen, director of strategy at the Halo Trust, described Prince Harry's visit as a "really significant moment". | Camille Wallen, director of strategy at the Halo Trust, described Prince Harry's visit as a "really significant moment". |
"As we saw in 1997, Princess Diana really helped raise awareness of the issue of landmines and the plight that people who live with landmines have every day," she told BBC Breakfast. | "As we saw in 1997, Princess Diana really helped raise awareness of the issue of landmines and the plight that people who live with landmines have every day," she told BBC Breakfast. |
"It effectively transformed what we do, and it transformed it for those people. They really felt they were being heard." | |
Princess Diana's involvement in the cause involved a call for a global ban on landmines. | Princess Diana's involvement in the cause involved a call for a global ban on landmines. |
Three months after her death in 1997, 122 countries signed the Ottawa Treaty, which prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel mines. | Three months after her death in 1997, 122 countries signed the Ottawa Treaty, which prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel mines. |
Ms Wallen said Prince Harry's visit helped "remind the world that landmines are not just a thing of the past". | Ms Wallen said Prince Harry's visit helped "remind the world that landmines are not just a thing of the past". |
"Decades after conflict they continue to threaten people's lives," she added. | "Decades after conflict they continue to threaten people's lives," she added. |
Later, the prince will visit the former minefield in Huambo where his mother walked in 1997 before her death. | |
The site had become a "a completely different place" following demining, Ms Wallen said. | |
"It's been completely transformed from scrubland to a bustling community with houses and schools and shops," she said. | |
Angolan minister Lucio Goncalves Amaral said Diana's anti-mine campaign left a "humanistic heritage" that motivated the country's authorities to push to remove all the devices from the country by 2025. | |
"We will never forget her priceless contribution to the campaign to ban the anti-personnel landmines," Angola's deputy minister for social integration said in a speech. | |
"The Angolan people will be eternally grateful for her performance in the demining process of our territory." | |
Prince Harry, who is on a tour of southern Africa, visited Botswana on Thursday, where he helped plant trees. | Prince Harry, who is on a tour of southern Africa, visited Botswana on Thursday, where he helped plant trees. |
The duke said there was a race against time to stop global warming, adding he was "troubled" by climate-change deniers. | The duke said there was a race against time to stop global warming, adding he was "troubled" by climate-change deniers. |
On Wednesday, Prince Harry visited South Africa, where he and the Duchess of Sussex introduced their baby son to the veteran anti-apartheid campaigner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. | On Wednesday, Prince Harry visited South Africa, where he and the Duchess of Sussex introduced their baby son to the veteran anti-apartheid campaigner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. |
The couple also met faith leaders at South Africa's first and oldest mosque and visited a mental health charity. | The couple also met faith leaders at South Africa's first and oldest mosque and visited a mental health charity. |
The duchess told teenage girls in a deprived part of the country she was visiting South Africa not only as a member of the Royal Family, but also "as a woman of colour and as your sister". | The duchess told teenage girls in a deprived part of the country she was visiting South Africa not only as a member of the Royal Family, but also "as a woman of colour and as your sister". |