News Desk: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, traveled to Angola on Tuesday to support land mine clearance efforts, retracing the footsteps of his late mother, Princess Diana, who famously visited the country in 1997.
Harry began his visit by meeting Angolan President João Lourenço alongside representatives from the Halo Trust, an international charity dedicated to clearing land mines from former conflict zones. The organization announced the meeting in a statement, emphasizing ongoing efforts to rid Angola of deadly mines left from its long civil war.
Princess Diana’s visit to Angola in January 1997 was a landmark moment in raising global awareness about the devastating impact of land mines. During her trip, she was photographed wearing protective gear while walking through an active minefield — a powerful image that helped galvanize international support for a treaty banning land mines later that year. Tragically, Diana died in a car accident just seven months after her visit.
Prince Harry has previously supported the Halo Trust’s mission, including a 2019 trip to Angola. This latest visit underscores his commitment to continuing his mother’s humanitarian legacy, although he traveled without his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, according to British media reports.
James Cowan, CEO of the Halo Trust, said Tuesday that he and Harry discussed the progress and challenges of demining in Angola with President Lourenço and expressed gratitude for the government’s backing of these efforts.
Angola endured a brutal 27-year civil war from 1975 to 2002, during which and afterward an estimated 80,000 people were killed or injured by land mines, though exact numbers remain uncertain. At the end of 2024, over 1,000 minefields covering roughly 67 square kilometers still required clearance.
The Angolan government aims to make the country completely land mine-free by 2025 — a goal that Harry’s visit seeks to highlight and support.