Casualties in 2017—details

There is no national casualty surveillance system. The 2017 mine/ERW casualty data for the Republic of Angola was provided by three demining operators: HALO Trust, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), and Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA). Therefore, casualties were only reported in the provinces where these NGOs are conducting mine clearance: Benguela, Bié, Huambo, Kuando Kubango, Lunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico, and Zaire.

MAG reported that in the three provinces whaere it works—Moxico, Lunda Norte, and Lunda Sul—accidents probably go unreported due to lack of communication and reporting systems.[3] In a 2015 report, HALO also noted that “anecdotally, the heavy toll of landmines in Angola is well known. However, at national and provincial levels Angola has always lacked an effective mechanism for systematic recording of accident data and as a result, its impact is underestimated.”[4]

HALO conducted a desk review of all mine/ERW incidents in the country between 1975 and 2015, combining media reports with their own survey and data records. In 2016 and 2017, HALO updated its findings based on resurvey of mined areas. As of 31 March 2017, HALO has identified 1,651 casualties from 815 mine/ERW incidents in nine provinces.[5] While not representative of all casualties in those provinces over the time period, the review indicates that antivehicle mines are the most common cause of injury and that the fatality rate from explosive devices was higher than previously believed. The review also indicates that the years with the most mine/ERW casualties were 2002 and 2003, when Angolans returned to their homes after the conclusion of the civil war.[6]

As of the end of 2014, the National Intersectorial Commission for Humanitarian Demining and Assistance (CNIDAH) had registered 9,165 survivors in the provinces of Benguela, Cabinda, Cunene, Huambo, Huíla, Malanje, Namibe, Uíge, and Zaire as part of its national mine/ERW victim survey.[7] The survey was suspended due to a lack of funds. CNIDAH estimates that the total number of injured mine/ERW casualties may be between 40,000 and 60,000.[8]

The Angolan government conducted a nationwide census in 2014, according to which, 88,716 people were living with a disability caused by landmines or other explosive devices. Survivors were identified in all 18 provinces with one-quarter living in Luanda. Mine and ERW survivors represented one-eighth of the total population of persons with disabilities, with 2.5% of the Angolan population identified as persons with disabilities.[9]

Cluster munition casualties

CNIDAH’s national victim survey identified at least 354 cluster munition survivors, all in the province of Huambo.[10] The 2014 and 2015 Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor reports included these figures. Subsequent information has not reconfirmed this data and calls this total into question. The survey of survivors in Huambo was conducted by the Institute for the Support of Vulnerable Children (Instituto ao Apoio a crianca Vulneravel, IACV), which is not a mine action organization, and the survey questionnaire used by the IACV did not specifically identify cluster munitions as a possible cause of injury.[11] In 2015, HALO conducted a desk review of all known landmine and ERW incidents from 1975 through 2015. While the review was limited to HALO’s area of operations, including Huambo province, in the course of the review it could not identify any cluster munition victims.[12] NPA compiled a desk review on potential cluster munition contamination in Angola but did not record any cluster munition casualties, despite documenting clearance and identifying some unexploded cluster munitions.[13] As such, reports of cluster munitions victims in Angola could not be confirmed as of May 2017.