Angola remains one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, with over 61 million square metres of land contaminated and over 900 known and suspected minefields - the legacy of over 40 years of conflict. 

MAG has been working in Angola since 1994 and has humanitarian mine action operations in the east of the country in Moxico, Moxico Leste and Lunda Sul provinces. Over the past 30 years, MAG Angola has released over 20 million sqm of land through clearance and reduction and cancelled over 141 million sqm via Non-Technical Survey - the equivalent of 22,549 football pitches. In this time, MAG's teams have found and destroyed over 167,000 landmines and other items of Explosive Ordnance (EO).

As a result of a 13-year war for independence (1961-1974), followed by 27 years of civil war (1975-2002), Angola is heavily contaminated with landmines and other EO which impacts the ability of communities to live safely and to utilise land for socio-economic means – this has a particularly pronounced impact in provinces such as Moxico and Moxico Leste where the levels of poverty are high. 

Another legacy of the conflict is the significant weapons and ammunition surplus, which fuels violent armed crime, and high levels of weapons trafficking. The impact of Small Arms and Light Weapons is more acute in peri-urban and urban areas, particularly in provincial capitals and towns along Angola’s lengthy border. 

In close coordination with the National Mine Action Agency (Agência Nacional de Acção Contra as Minas, ANAM), MAG deploys manual and mechanical capacity to conduct land release via Technical Survey. MAG clears land of landmines and unexploded ordnance to ensure the safety of communities still suffering the effects of fourty-years of conflict. 

MAG also delivers life-saving Explosive Ordnance Risk Education sessions to communities, including messages around how to identify, avoid and report landmines and EO. This is particularly important for children and returnee communities who are not necessarily aware of the dangers. 

With the support of the National Police (Polícia Nacional de Angola, PNA) and the National Agency for Weapons Control and Disarmament (Autoridade Nacional para o Controlo de Armas e Desarmamento, ANCAD), MAG also delivers Weapons and Ammunition Management activities in Moxico, Moxico Leste Lunda Sul and Lunda Norte provinces.

MAG conducts needs-based assessments on existing police armouries and rehabilitates and constructs stores based on identified needs and priorities, helping to reduce the misuse and diversion of weapons and ammunition from state-held stockpiles. MAG also delivers training on weapons safety, armoury storekeeping and armoury management to security sector personnel in order to increase national capacity to safely use, store and manage weapons.

The Lobito Corridor is a 1,300km railway linking Angola’s coast to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. Built nearly a century ago, it was devastated during the Angolan Civil War, with less than 3% functional by 2002 after widespread landmine contamination.

Now renovated and expanding, the line is set to become a vital trade route for minerals and goods, driving growth for communities along its path – home to 26% of Angola’s population – and strengthening the country’s role in regional and global markets.

International partners, including the US and EU, are backing the Corridor’s development through infrastructure, agriculture, and conservation projects. But mine clearance remains essential in order for these ambitions to be realised and it must be at the forefront of investment strategies and project design.

Working with the Government of Angola and international partners, MAG remains committed to clearing minefields along the Corridor to facilitate humanitarian development and unlock economic potential.