News

Six MineWolf mine clearance machines for the National Institute of Demining in Angola
30.11.09

Despite seven years of sustainable peace and stability Angola remains one of the countries most heavily affected by landmines. People in all parts of the country still suffer from the imminent landmine threat and the estimated ten million mines scattered around the country continue to slow down the urgently needed development of the country’s infrastructure.

Since the end of the civil war in 2002, the Angolan authorities together with international organizations and donors have built a significant mine action capacity, raising awareness for the landmine problem and providing assistance to the numerous victims maimed by the “silent soldiers”.

In order to enhance its efforts in clearing the landmines the Angolan Government signed a contract with Swiss defence contractor RUAG for the delivery of six large MineWolf mine clearance vehicles produced by Swissbased company MineWolf Systems. The contract includes support equipment and a comprehensive training package.

MineWolf Systems’ flagship product, the MineWolf has proven its effectiveness in many mine-contaminated countries and is well suited for dealing with the difficult conditions to be encountered in Angola. The machine is operator controlled and is capable of clearing all types of common antipersonnel (AP) and anti-tank (AT) mines. In accordance with the contract, twelve mechanics from Angola undertook training at the manufacturer’s facilities in Germany during July 2009. The first machines arrived in country at the beginning of November and training continued in real life conditions. MineWolf Systems will maintain a presence in Angola for a period of nine months to ensure that INAD(Instituto Nacional de Desminado) personnel will be fully capable of operating the equipment. The first machines will be deployed to Angola’s Southern provinces in January 2010 to free the country’s most heavily affected areas of landmines.