Two killed by landmine in Mozambique

Two youths in Mozambique’s northern Zambezia province have been killed by a landmine buried on a farm. This is despite the fact the country was declared free of landmines in 2015. 

Police have said the pair were digging on the farm when their hoe hit a landmine and the device exploded. 

Police commander Sidney Lonzo said investigations were still ongoing and that experts would be brought in to deactivate any remaining explosives.

Both government and Renamo rebel forces planted landmines during the 16-year civil war which ended in 1992. Over the course of two decades, 171,000 landmines have been removed.

In September 2015, British landmine clearance charity Halo Trust declared Mozambique the first large mine-contaminated country to be completely cleared of the explosives. 

In 2010, Prince Harry visited Mozambique to learn about the work of the Halo Trust. This year he went to Angola, where Princes Diana famously walked through a live minefield in 1997.

Speaking on his recent trip, the prince said it was “quite emotional” to follow in his mother’s footsteps, “and to see the transformation that has taken place - from an unsafe and desolate place into a vibrant community of local businesses and colleges”. 

Photo credit: Club of Mozambique