Prince Harry retraces his mother Diana's footsteps at Angola landmine fields

The Duke of Sussex says the landmines are an "unhealed scar" of war as he watches work to eradicate the weapons.

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Harry retraces Diana's footsteps
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The Duke of Sussex has visited Angola and retraced the footsteps of his mother Diana, the Princess of Wales, as he paid homage to her campaign to outlaw landmines.

In images beamed around the world, Diana famously walked through a partially-cleared minefield in the African country in 1997.

Her aim was to highlight the plight of people maimed by munitions and to bring about a ban on the weapons.

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Prince Harry keeps his mum Diana's legacy alive as he walks through a landmine field in Angola.

Prince Harry returned to the same area which is now a street in the bustling town of Huambo following the clearance of landmines.

The duke saw first-hand the work of the landmine clearing charity the Halo Trust when he visited a site where its staff are working in the south eastern town of Dirico

Prince Harry near the Diana Tree on day five of the royal tour of Africa, in Huambo, Angola
Image: Prince Harry near the Diana Tree in Huambo

Harry walked into an area that was once an artillery base for anti-government forces and the dusty scrubland was marked with red warning signs showing the skull and crossbones with the Portuguese words "Perigo Minas!" and the English translation below, "danger mines".

He was asked to set off an anti-personnel mine - discovered earlier - with a controlled explosion.

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The Duke of Sussex walks through a minefield in Dirico, Angola, during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust
Image: The Duke of Sussex walks through a minefield in Dirico

Harry said: "Landmines are an unhealed scar of war. By clearing the landmines we can help this community find peace, and with peace comes opportunity.

"Additionally, we can protect the diverse and unique wildlife that relies on the beautiful Kuito river that I slept beside last night.

Britain's Prince Harry delivers a speech near the Diana Tree on day five of the royal tour of Africa, in Huambo, Angola
Image: Harry was at the same spot where his mother was pictured in 1997

"That river and those wildlife are your natural assets and, if looked after, will bring you unlimited opportunities in the conservation-led economy.

"It is fitting that this project starts in Dirico, at the convergence of the two rivers that flow from Angola's islands down to the Okavango Delta.

"These two rivers provide water and life to over a million people downstream and an essential and incredibly delicate habitat for an abundance of wildlife.

"Just as these rivers extend for miles, so must this project extend far beyond Dirico. Outside the national parks, large parts of this crucial watershed also need to be cleared of land mines.

File photo dated 15/01/97 of Diana, Princess of Wales wearing a bombproof visor during her visit to a minefield in Huambo, in Angola. The Duke of Sussex has donned body armour and a protective visor to walk through a partially cleared minefield during a visit to the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, in scenes reminiscent of his mother Diana, on day five of the royal tour of Africa. PA Photo. Issue date: Friday September 27, 2019. See PA story ROYAL Tour. Photo credit should read: John Stillwell/PA Wire
Image: Diana highlighted the dangers in the landmines in 1997

"Clearing the full watershed will take an international effort. Everyone who recognises the priceless importance of safeguarding Africa's most intact natural landscape should commit fully to this mission."

The duke, who is midway through a 10-day tour of Africa, watched de-mining staff clear munitions so the land can return to productive use.

Diana never saw the results of her work to help outlaw landmines. She died in August 1997 - just months before an international treaty was signed to ban the weapons.

The landmines were a legacy of Angola's 27-year civil war which ended in 2002, but an unknown number of munitions that remained active have injured and maimed tens of thousands of people since.

The duke gave his backing in June to a £47m landmine clearing initiative to help destroy thousands of munitions in a huge conservation region of Angola.

The government in Angola is investing the funds in the Halo Trust, which will begin a five-year programme to clear 153 minefields of munitions in the south-eastern province of Cuando Cubango inside the Mavinga and Luengue-Luiana National Parks.