“If you come across a snake, it is best not to get nervous, but to stay calm and wait for it to pass.” Paramedic João Eduardo’s instructions are alarming, especially in latitudes where some species of viper, cobra or the feared and deadly black mamba live. However, they sound like the asterisk in a contract: on these sandy paths of sparse vegetation and dry strands, what is dangerous is not the animals on the surface, but what is hidden underground. Every few meters, without a specific arithmetic, they nest in the underground antipersonnel mines.
They have lived here since the civil war that devastated Angola throughout almost three decadesfrom 1975 to 2002, and still cause serious injuries among the population. For this reason, a team of workers from different parts of this African country, with international participation, is dedicated to deactivating and extracting the explosives, to transform the freed land into farms for the neighbors. In the plot where they warn of the presence of reptiles, Japanese and Belgian funds join forces, through the organization APOPOto clear the terrain of hidden threats, including missiles or shrapnel. To do this, they count with metal detectors and the help of rats specially trained.
The so-called “hero rats” are specimens of this rodent of African origin that play a “crucial” role, according to Lily Shallom, spokesperson for the organization. This species smells explosive devices, but thanks to its light weight, there is no danger of them being activated. With this “special” team, APOPO has achieved “more precise investigation” and “greater interaction with communities and local authorities,” as specified by the person in charge by email from its African headquarters in Morogoro (Tanzania).
“We currently have about 110 rats detecting anti-personnel mines. They are of the type cricetomys ansorgei, a large humanoid rodent with an omnivorous and mainly nocturnal diet. The length of the head and body ranges between 25 and 30 centimeters. And the tail adds up to about 30. In total, these little heroes weigh between one and two kilos,” details Shallom. The organization raises and trains them from the age of 10 weeks, making them associate the smell of TNT with treats such as bananas or peanuts.
The origin of this method was the idea of the Belgian Bart Weetjens, the founder of APOPO, who thought that this animal could be trained to recognize explosives and decided to use it for mines. The first tests were carried out in 2003 at a training camp in Mozambique. They were “exciting”, but also “a little stressful”: “I didn’t know if they would be able to do it in open terrain,” says Shallom. They have been: throughout this period they have cleared thousands of hectares in different areas of the globe, such as in this corner of Angola.
A few kilometers from the town of Libolo, in the center of the country, a camp of tents with thick, beige, military-style canvas announces the presence of the deactivators. The checkpoint, on the side of the road, has a dozen workers. Among them, apart from the aforementioned health worker, are the sappers and the head of the mission, Arão Dos Santos, 40 years old. “We have already located 22 mines and have removed 8,” he explains.
To go to this minefield It is necessary to put on a protective uniform that consists of a long overalls and a plastic mask. The path is marked by sticks whose upper edges are painted in three colors. “If they are red it means there are mines; yellow, which there were before; and white, which is a safe place,” explains Dos Santos in front of an armored car that they drive in the most delicate moments.
The demining process is arduous and expensive. While these explosives have minimal cost, deactivating them involves fencing off each area, searching with a metal detector, using experts to dig them up, and extracting or detonating them without causing damage.
A few days ago, a peasant woman stepped on a mine and was left without legs
João Eduardo, paramedic
Added to this are the awareness campaigns in nearby populations. “We give guidelines for behavior, prevention and avoiding certain places,” says João Eduardo, who at 37 years old is already seasoned in hospitals, health centers and remote villages, where he does a task that is more informative than health-related. “A few days ago, a peasant woman stepped on one and was left without legs,” he laments.
Some strips are already delimited by stakes and plastic tapes. Inside, half unearthed, these artifacts appear. “They were put up by all sides, from the Cuban troops of the MPLA to the South African troops of SWAPO,” specifies Dos Santos, referring to the different factions that faced each other in the war: During the 27 years that the civil conflict lasted, different national and foreign groups competed for power in Angola after independence from Portugal.
The consequences still exist. Not only in those mines, but in the half-buried tanks that doze on some sidewalk or in the rusty bullet casings that carpet the landscape. Also in the census: of the country’s nearly 38 million inhabitants, only 3% are over 65 years old, according to the United Nations Population Fund. “And we still live with insecurity. Although we are people who have known how to move forward, without quarrels. With peace, there are also more universities and schools,” reflects João Eduardo.
They step without hesitation, with aplomb. Clementina Regina, 46, Francisco Joaquín, 51, and Daniel Casinda, 42, are some of the nine sappers combing the domain at the moment, with a separation of 25 meters between them. Today they pass a metal detector along the floor, without touching it, until the alarm goes off. “It is dangerous, but we are careful and we believe it is an important task,” they say. Once the beep is heard, the next thing is to cordon off a square of about 40 centimeters on each side. It will remain like this until it is possible to intervene with the appropriate material. Meanwhile, one side of the artifact protrudes between grains of black earth. In the case of using rats, they would be the ones who would raise the alarm, sniffing out the gunpowder and marking the limit for the farmers’ crops.
The placement of mines is random, as in other areas of Angola, where in 2020 there were still 1,304 active mines, according to calculations. the International Anti-Mine Convention. To clean the soil, foreign help is required. An investment that comes from different countries and channeled here by the Belgian organization APOPO, which began demining Angola in 2013. They have “safely” removed 306 land mines, 714 pieces of explosive remnants of war and 7,880 small arms and ammunition, according to its spokesperson, Lily Shallom.
Shallom details the “devastating” injuries caused by these munitions: “Loss of limbs, severe burns or even death.” He notes that certain specific challenges in this African country: the long rainy season and dense vegetation can make demining operations difficult.
Demining missions are “essential” to “restore confidence and security” in the affected regions, he adds. In the one described, in the province of Kwanza Sur, not only They avoid the possible misfortunes associated with these explosivesbut they turn old dark esplanades into farm fields. “We are proud to say that our efforts have made significant portions of land safe again for communities to live and farm,” says Shallom. In July, APOPO claimed that rat teams had found 74 mines in Kwanza Sul and Ebo in the last year, clearing 921,232 square meters of land.
Sow the liberated land
“We will soon demine this,” warns Dos Santos, who summarizes his achievements: “In three months, we cleaned about 250,000 square meters.” Among them are these hectares, where some work with a helmet and a metal detector to remove rooted dangers and others with a hoe to obtain the fruits of the land. Manuel Agostinho, veteran member of APOPO, stated in October in the Angola Journal that this operation has reestablished agricultural activities in various departments of the country and has benefited, in total, 23,000 peasant families directly and 80,000 indirectly.
Different vegetables are already planted on this surface of Libolo. Antonio Baristo, a 36-year-old farmer, comes from Huambo, about 380 kilometers away. He has six children and now he sows this liberated land, happy, although with a latent fear: “I take it away being outside the demarcation of the mines,” he confesses. Irrigation comes from the Longa River. Along its shore you can see eucalyptus trees fighting for water: unlike in other areas of the country, here the ocher flecked with the green of the grass and the brown of the stunted bushes reigns.
Perhaps that is why, for now, they will only plant tomatoes, onions and peppers. “Angola, however, is very rich in crops. There is coffee, cassava, potatoes, beans or fruits like strawberries, watermelons or bananas,” says an agronomist from Cuba who has been supervising orchards throughout the country for two years and prefers not to give his name.
Everyone walks determinedly, hiding their nerves. “You don’t think about fear. I am happy because we liberate lands and we are lifesavers for farmers and neighbors. We make a contribution to the country,” says João Eduardo, whose problem with work is the distance from his family. The paramedic looks at the farmer and smiles. He hopes that one day he will only have to warn about the poisonous snakes that come across the unwelcome visitor, and not about what is camouflaged under the undergrowth.
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