Mag Training - Angola

June 2010

On April 4, 2002, rebel leaders from the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) signed a cease-fire deal with the Angolan government to end the civil war. Despite the official end of the war, there are still many remnants of the conflict which still pose a danger to those living in affected areas. The number of anti-personnel devices scattered throughout the country from the 27-year conflict remains unknown, but an estimated 80,000 people have been casualties of landmines and thousands of kilometres of roads, bridges and fields remain littered with undetonated ordnance. A lack of information and data on landmine placement has required the deployment of field demining teams throughout suspected mine-laden areas.

In June 2010, 2 Canadian paramedics deployed to Luena, Angola, to help train MAG Angola’s Landmine/UXO Clearance teams. These teams were trained on GlobalMedic’s Emergency Trauma Management Program. In total, 13 Angolan medics participated, completed the program, and are now equipped to respond to patients which a much higher degree of skill. The program phase also included rigorous testing and evaluation procedures to ensure the retention of knowledge, as well as the quality of the medic capacity to train other field workers. In support of the local program, the GlobalMedic team also assessed MAG-Angola’s medical support programs and provided recommendations for program enhancement.

Overall, this mission was a successful continuation of GlobalMedic’s capacity-building programs that have run in Iraq, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Somalia, and the DRC/RC.