The United States said on Wednesday that its partnership with Angola has 'never been stronger', pointing to $160 million invested in the removal of more than 100,000 landmines across the country since 1994.
The remarks were made by US Chargé d'Affaires in Angola, Shannon Cazeau, at the opening ceremony of the second meeting of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee between the two countries — known as DEFCOM — held at the Ministry of Defence in Luanda.
'Our partnership has never been stronger,' Cazeau declared, describing a bilateral relationship that was 'once distant' but had transformed over the past decade into 'a partnership built on mutual respect, growing economic cooperation, and shared interests'.
Cazeau said the US-funded demining programme 'is expected to make Angola mine-free by the end of this decade'.
She further noted that more than 60 American companies currently operate in Angola, investing 'billions of dollars in the country's future'. Through the Lobito Corridor initiative, she added, Washington is mobilising more than $1 billion in public and private financing for infrastructure projects.
The US government is also supporting the modernisation of the Angolan Armed Forces through the acquisition of defence equipment compatible with NATO standards, in collaboration with companies including Oshkosh Defense, GM Defense, and Bell/Textron.
Cazeau highlighted additional milestones in military cooperation, including the recent admission of an Angolan cadet to the United States Air Force Academy and the establishment of a State Partnership Programme with the Ohio National Guard.
The chargé d'affaires also praised Angola's role in regional diplomacy, citing the Luanda Process, Angola's African Union presidency in 2025, and the Washington Agreements signed in December — which she described as 'a call for peace and stability in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo'.
'The relationship between the United States and Angola has never been more solid,' she reiterated, asserting that defence cooperation is grounded in 'frank and open dialogue between equal partners'.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/08/05/mundo/angola/angola-eua-investiram-160-milhoes-de-dolares-na-desminagem-desde-1994/
