Mozambique’s Tete province is now free of land mines.

MISNA -the Missionary International Service News Agency reports that the Director of the National Demining Institute, Alberto Augusto confirmed this to the news Service.

According to Augusto, not less than 75,000 land mines have been removed by the organisation. An area of five million square meters of land (equal to about 467 football fields) will now be available for agricultural use.

It is estimated that 85% of all mines destroyed are from the Mozambican civil war of 1977-1992. Three organisations who participated in the de-minig activities include the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA), Halo Trust and Apopo. Tete has become the eighth province in the country to be free from this type of ordnances.

(e-mail: engafrica@vatiradio.va)