Mine-clearing charity given £7m to continue work in Ukraine and Afghanistan
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A landmine clearance charity will be given £7 million to continue its “life-saving” work in Ukraine and Afghanistan. The UK Government cash for the Hazardous Area Life-support Organisation (Halo) Trust will enable the charity to make land safe for agriculture in Ukraine, and to restore basic services affected by the threat of explosives in Afghanistan.
Development minister Anneliese Dodds also announced an additional £250,000 for one Halo project, which aims to dispose of 165 tons of unusable, unsafe ammunition and explosives from Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, Africa. The minister visited the Halo base in Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway, on Wednesday where she saw how the organisation helps other countries and creates jobs in the local area.
It comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited Kyiv, Ukraine, last week where he signed the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership, which aims to help the country rebuild after the Russian invasion. On her visit, Ms Dodds discussed how she intends to extend the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s current contracts with Halo to deliver mine action in Afghanistan and Ukraine by a further year from April 2025 to the end of March 2026, providing £4.3 million for work in Ukraine and £3 million for action in Afghanistan.
