In January 1997, Princess Diana walked through a minefield in Huambo, Angola, wearing protective equipment and accompanied by a mine-removal expert from the HALO Trust. Her visit highlighted the devastating impact of landmines after a civil war that had left Angola contaminated by more than 15 million mines. The appearance brought worldwide attention to the campaign for a landmine ban and helped build public support for international action. Decades later, Angola still faces clearance challenges, with 7,300 hectares of land reported to require mine clearance in 2024.
Why did Princess Diana walk into an Angolan minefield in 1997
Diana visited Angola in January 1997 as a guest of the International Red Cross, during a brief and fragile period of peace following a civil war that had lasted around 20 years. The conflict had left the country contaminated by more than 15 million landmines. These weapons were causing civilian casualties and obstructing recovery in communities affected by the fighting. The BBC reported that, at the time of Diana’s visit, one in every 330 people in Angola had lost a limb.During the visit, Diana walked along a cleared path through a minefield in the San Antonio area of Huambo, Angola’s second-largest city. She was accompanied by Paul Heslop, a mine-removal expert from the HALO Trust, and wore protective equipment as photographers and journalists documented the event. Diana explained why Angola was an appropriate place to begin the campaign, saying: “There couldn’t be a more appropriate place to begin this campaign than Angola because this nation has the highest number of amputees per population than anywhere in the world.” Her visit brought worldwide attention to the human consequences of landmines and the challenges facing communities living among unexploded hazards.
How did Princess Diana’s landmine campaign influence the Ottawa Treaty
Diana’s appearance in the minefield was intended to draw attention to the effects of landmines and encourage action to address their use. According to the BBC, her support for the Red Cross campaign for a worldwide ban attracted public attention but also created political controversy in the United Kingdom, where her position differed from the government’s policy at the time. Responding to questions about the dispute, Diana said: “I’m not a political figure, nor do I want to be one. I come with my heart, and I want to bring awareness to people in distress, whether it is in Angola or any part of the world.” She described herself as a humanitarian figure seeking to highlight the suffering caused by the weapons.Diana continued her advocacy after returning from Angola. In June 1997, she delivered a speech at the Royal Geographical Institute in London calling for an end to what she described as “the plague on Earth caused by landmines”. She also travelled to Bosnia in August that year to observe clearance work and meet people injured during the country’s conflict. The public attention surrounding her campaign helped increase funding for demining projects and encouraged governments to address the issue. The Ottawa Treaty, adopted in 1997 and entering into force in 1999, established an international framework aimed at eliminating anti-personnel landmines through prohibitions on their use, production, stockpiling and transfer.
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How did Princess Diana’s Angola minefield become a thriving community
According to the The HALO Trust reported in December 2020 that the minefield Diana visited in Huambo had become a thriving community. Her son, Prince Harry, visited the area in September 2019, renewing attention to the location and the continuing significance of landmine clearance. In its account of the visit’s legacy, HALO Trust chief executive James Cowan said: “Diana’s visit to Angola in 1997 transformed the public perception of landmines from a military weapon to a global humanitarian issue.” He added that the campaign had helped save lives and said the organisation was proud to have played a part in her journey.Progress at the site Diana visited does not mean that Angola is free of landmines. The Mines Advisory Group estimated that 7,300 hectares of land in Angola still required clearance according to its report. The figure illustrates the scale of the remaining challenge across the country, even as individual areas become safer for residents. Mine clearance involves identifying and removing dangerous devices so that land can be used more safely by communities that depend on it. The continued need for this work shows why the legacy of Diana’s visit extends beyond the historic photograph of her walking through a minefield.
Why do landmines remain a global threat decades after conflicts end
The problem extends well beyond Angola. In its January 2024 report, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines showed that at least 5,544 people were killed or injured by mines worldwide in 2021, with most of the victims being civilians and half being children. The report also highlighted the lasting danger in countries including Afghanistan, Croatia, Cambodia and Libya, where landmines remain buried long after fighting has ended. Some devices are difficult to locate because their positions have been forgotten, leaving communities exposed to hazards that can persist for decades.New mines continue to be laid in active conflict zones. Citing figures from the Ukrainian government, it stated that 724 people had been blown up by mines since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, including 226 people who were killed. The report said an estimated 174,000 square kilometres of Ukraine had become contaminated by landmines. Meanwhile, organisations including the HALO Trust, the Mines Advisory Group and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines continue their work on clearance and support for affected communities. Diana did not live to see the full consequences of the campaign she supported, but the organisations working on the issue remain engaged in efforts to reduce the threat posed by these weapons. Her 1997 visit remains an important part of the history of the campaign, while the ongoing clearance work reflects the scale of the challenge that remains.