In 1993, when HALO began working in Mozambique, it was one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. Landmines were first laid in the 1960s during the war for independence from Portugal, then in the civil war that followed. For 15 years government and rebel forces fought each other across the country.
Photo: Brent Stirton
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The war ended in 1992, but Mozambique’s long landmine legacy was the cause of hundreds of accidents every year, land was unsafe to farm and infrastructure off limits to repair. Across Mozambique people lived in fear and poverty.
Photo: Brent Stirton
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Over two decades HALO employed 16,000 Mozambican men and women, clearing 171,000 landmines from more than 1,100 minefields. Thanks to their dedicated work and that of other demining organisations, Mozambique was declared mine-free in 2015. Communities, such as the villagers of Nhanchenje in Tete province, who were forcefully displaced when the mines were laid, were able to re-settle and farm their land without fear.
Photo: Brent Stirton
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Mozambique’s railways, mined during the civil war, were made safe, securing crucial transport links to both domestic and international markets. Landmines were cleared from around the pylons of the Maputo powerline which provides electricity to over 1.2 million people in the capital. This allowed safe access for vital maintenance work and meant those living beside the pylons no longer risked injury or death.
The achievements of Mozambique stand as a beacon of hope for other mine-affected countries. With your support, a world free from landmines is possible.
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