Prince Harry in Angola minefields charity visit

According to the head of the Halo Trust, the prince was "irritated" that some nations which provided mines are not helping the clearance effort. He visited Cuito Cuanavale and met those benefiting from the work.

The charity is the oldest organisation of its kind and the prince is patron of its 25th Anniversary Appeal.
In 2010 he met some of Halo's teams working in Mozambique.

Shortly before her death in 1997, Princess Diana was filmed visiting minefields that were being cleared by the trust in Angola, drawing the world's attention to the situation. The town of Cuito Cuanavale in south-eastern Angola is believed to be the most densely mined town in Africa, following the country's bloody and protracted civil war.

In a statement issued by Kensington Palace, Prince Harry said he was keen to support the charity in any way he could.
The trip took place earlier this month and Prince Harry's spokesman announced at the time that he was in Angola.

But the Dumfriesshire-based Halo Trust said it had decided to delay providing further details until now because of the fact that it was taking place in a private capacity and the "complicated field logistics" involved.

Its chief executive Guy Willoughby said: "He [the prince] is irritated about the countries that supplied these landmines are not actually putting in any funds to clear them 25 years later.

"He has got quite a bee in his bonnet about that, and that is good.
"The commitment shown by Prince Harry plays an invaluable role in helping us to raise awareness of Halo's work and mission.
"Wars may be over but many people are still unable to resume their normal lives, facing the threat of death or injury by landmines every day."

Angola's civil war left an estimated 500,000 dead, displaced four million and destroyed much of the country's infrastructure. Despite huge efforts since the war ended in 2002 to clear the explosives, the country remains one of the most heavily mined in the world. The Halo Trust said it has destroyed more than 21,300 anti-personnel and anti-tank mines in Angola but thousands of residents have been killed or maimed.

Mr Willoughby said Halo was making "excellent progress" in Angola and the province of Huambo was now close to becoming mine-free, but there was still many years of work to be done.