ANGOLA
The MgM mine clearance project Bengo (1)
 |
Luanda, the capital of Angola, could be one of the most beautiful port cities in the world … |
PRE-HISTORY
The province of Bengo is the region around Luanda, the capital of Angola.
Over centuries Bengo served as the bread-basket of this naval metropolis.
The extraordinarily fruitful land allowed Luanda to develop into one of
the most impressive cities in Africa. Over and over again hostile armies
have tried to capture Luanda and it has always resulted in displacement
and agony for the farming population around the city. The last two wars,
the liberation from the Portuguese and the resulting on-going civil war,
have hit the population extremely hard.
Far away from public view, the global superpowers used Angola as a surrogate battleground into which they dumped their outdated weapon systems in vast quantities. The Angolan people were the pawns in their ideological games. The volume of weaponry, ammunition and land mines spread throughout the country beggars belief. The war became harder and harder for the rural population, undefended against increasing rocket and bomb attacks, so many fled to the relative safety of the cities.
 |
30 years of civil war created massive slums. |
| | ||
In this chapter you will find additional information on the following topics: | •
Refugees in their own land | •
Angola report 2001 (PDF) |
|
|