HALO Trust in Angola
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Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 6 Issue 2 The Journal of Mine Action Article 5 August 2002 HALO Trust in Angola David Hartley Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU (CISR) Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal Part of the Defense and Security Studies Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons Recommended Citation Hartley, David (2002) "HALO Trust in Angola," Journal of Mine Action : Vol. 6 : Iss. 2 , Article 5. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol6/iss2/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FOCUS Hartley: HALO;I Trust in Angola . Landmlnes in Africa ment is controlled and used by 26 separate throughout the nation. Although Angola The conflict ultimately interrupted demining teams. has signed and ratified the Mine Ban HALO's demining operations. More im HALO Trust in Angola HALO has been presenred with a Treaty, little has been done to stop the portantly, however, the political turmoil unique and daunting challenge in Angola. use oflandmines. When Angola's electoral displaced hundreds of thousands of Nor only does the South African nation process collapsed in 1992, a period of Angolan citizens. These bystanders were HALO Trust, a British charity, is gaining acclaim for both the scope and quality have one of the most alarming landmine indiscriminate mine laying commenced. driven from their homes and forced ro of their demining operations. In Angola, HALO has successfully adapted to THE problems in the world (some sources es Ango.la's civil war is the longest in seek solace around Angola's central pro an unstable political climate to help clear mines and allow for the return of timate as many as 15 million landmines), Africa. After winning independence from vincial capitals. For HALO, this has created hundreds of thousands of displaced refugees. In light of Angola's newfound HALO bur the Angolan socio-political situation Portugal in 1975, Angola was torn be an urgent and unique demining scenario. peace, the Trust plans to expand their operations and finish the job. TRUST is also notOriously unstable. To dare, at tween the U.S. backed National Union least 76 different types of AP landmines for the Total Independence of Angola A Downturn in Security have been found in Angola, manufac (UNITA) rebels and the communist-sup In Angola, HALO seeks simply to by David Hartley, MAIC United States has great faith in HALO tured in 22 different countries. ported People's Movemenr for the Lib "clear land so people can build homes," Trust and is subsequently the NGO's Moreover, through their srricr prac eration of Angola (MPLA). The collapse "remove mines which inhibit the work Introduction leading financial contributor. On June tices and innovation, HALO has gained Civil War of rhe UN's Angolan peace arrempr in of aid agencies," and provide internally I9'h, Lincoln P. Bloomfield Jr., the Spe a reputation as one of the safest demining I992 opened the gates for ten more years displaced persons (lOPs) with "safe ac With the landmine community in cial Representative of the President and operations in the world. For instance, Two decades of civil war have deci ofbirrer conflict. Since 1992, conflict has cess ro agricultural land."4 The organiza creasingly saddled with political and bu Secretary of State for Mine Action, re they have "pioneered a systematic and mated Angola's population and lefr an continued between the Angolan govern tion has been clearing land in Angola reaucratic comroversy, HALO Trust is leased an official commendation of very safe methodology with its dog teams untold number of landmines and UXO menral forces (FAA) and the UNITA. since 1994, bur had a definitive shift in distinguished from other demining HALO's efforrs. Worldwide, the Trust has whereby ground is searched in a series of operational procedure in 1998. groups by the simpli city of their mission. destroyed more than one million overlapping lanes to minimize the possi With the increasing FAA/UNITA This British-based non-governmenral landmines and items ofUXO, as well as bility of individual mines or UXO being turmoil and a subsequent "downturn in organization (NGO), the largest private helped facilitate the operations of other missed." 2 This lane system, as well as security," HALO's operations were re non-profi t demining organization in the humanitarian organizations. other unique safety procedures, has given stricted to less than 30 km around world, shuns any involvement in religious Wirh its growing profile, H ALO HALO Trust an injury rate of 11 6 inju Huambo and Kuito in the Bie province.; crusades or political campaigns and con Trust is encountering opportunities to ries per 100,000 workers, a relatively This meant that the land that HALO had ferences. Instead, declares Africa desk of pursue more substantial and diverse fund small figure given the inherently danger previously surveyed was abandoned. Al ficer Tim Porter, HALO seeks only "to ing. The Ruyichi Sakomato-led Japanese ous nature of landmine/UXO removal. 3 though they have no evidence of remining get mines out of the ground ... with as Benefit music project, "Zero Landmine," HALO Trust gives all of their em in Angola, HALO chose not to demine little fuss as possible." 1 This no-nonsense has sold a surprisingly high number of ployees, including accountants and desk areas in danger of changing hands be demining stance has earned HALO an copies, providing HALO Trust significant officers, the chance to work in the field . tween government forces. Also, due to rhe increasingly high international profile, financial support for the last two years. Given the growing rift between those increased deployment of anti-vehicle highligh ted by the late Princess Diana's The musical rribme to landmine aware with legitimate demining experience and (AV) mines, HALO has been almost com visits to Angola and the recent Japanese ness features a va riety of international art those who make administrative and pro pletely dependent on aircraft for logistics. Celebrity Benefit CD, "Zero Landmine." ists, including Cyndi L1uper and Brian Eno. cedural decisions, this policy is refreshing. Furthermore, HALO was faced with Founded in 1988, HALO divides its Ideally, all of the landmine community's a massive migration ofiDPs into govern international operations into three basic Research & Development decision makers should have field expe ment-controlled rerrirory. Due ro mili regional groups: Africa, Asia and the rience and a subsequent appreciation for tary conflict in the outer municipalities, Caucasus. Headed in Scotland by direc Hailed as a leader in research and the arduous process of mine clearance. as many as 80,000 TDPs flocked to Kuiro, tor Guy Willoughby and a number of development, HALO Trust has broken and up ro half a million to Huambo. desk officers, HALO is hierarchically run new ground in their use of selective ar HALO in Angola Working with other humanitarian orga by program managers in each country of mor, tractor mounted hedge and verge nizations to provide for the influx of refu operation. Free from political distrac cutters, adapted and armored medium HALO's Africa program operates in gees, HALO roiled through most of tions, HALO can focus on developing wheeled loaders, and demining dogs. Angola, Mozambique, Eritrea and 1999, 2000 and 2001 to clear land new technology and expanding their pro HALO's Mine Detection Dog (MOD) Somaliland. Like irs operations in Asia around the provincial capitals. The grams, which al ready boast 4,850 mine program has seen significant action and the Caucasus, HALO's Africa pro Angolan IDPs were pouring into the area, clearance personnel in nine countries. throughout Africa and has been aided by gram employs a small administrative staff "trying to compete wirh each other for rhe installation of six weather stations. and emphasizes the developmenr of lo strips of land on which to grow crops."6 Funding The purchase of the weather stations wi ll cal management. Of H ALO's 386 em Shantytowns with open sewage and virtu help HALO predict the optimal condi ployees in Angola, 385 are locals and on.ly ally no basic amenities sprung up, forcing HALO's Angola program received tions for dog mine detection. the program manager is an expatriate. In refugees to scavenge for food wherever it $800,000 from the United States in the T he Trust developed the use of vi Angola, HALO also owns and operates could be found. These makeshift com 2001 fiscal year, along with funding from sors without helmets, for improved 23 Land Rovers, two Case 721 armored munities often appeared in close proxim- the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Neth demining comfort, as well as one-handed loaders, two Wer'Wolf mine protected erlands, Switzerland and the European detectors and one-man drills. HALO has also area-reduction vehicles, a Fiat Allis FLS B Union. The majority of this budget pays experimented with a variety of methods for tracked dozer and a New Holland 110/ • This Angolan la ndmine victim lost his legs the salaries of HALO's employees. T he charging rechargeable batteries in the field. 90 armored vegetation cutter. This equip- to an AP mine. c/o ICRC Published by JMU Scholarly Commons, 2002 • 12 • • 13 • 1 Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Vol. 6, Iss. 2 [2002], Art.