This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The campaign by Diana, Princess of Wales, to clear landmines is to be boosted by extra British aid funding, the international development secretary has announced.

Penny Mordaunt pledged to match money the British public donated to the Mine Advisory Group’s (MAG) Christmas appeal, in addition to £100m announced at an event with Prince Harry this year.

The UK will extend its demining work in countries such as Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. It will also work in Angola, where Diana famously walked through a minefield wearing body armour in 1997, to highlight the problem caused by unexploded military munitions.

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Mordaunt said: “Landmines have left a shameful legacy of suffering across the world, and the British public can be proud of their contribution to eradicating this hidden, indiscriminate killer.

“These barbaric weapons of war kill innocent people years after a conflict has ended, and have left so many devastated families mourning the loss of loved ones. The thousands that do survive have been left maimed and seriously disabled forever, unable to work, unable to feed their families and suffering from a lifetime of debilitating pain.

“Twenty years after Princess Diana’s call for action resonated in every corner of the world, Britain is at the forefront in saving thousands of lives and ensuring that future generations will now have the chance to live without fear of being killed by a weapon from the past.”

Diana never saw her work come to fruition as she died in a car crash in August 1997, months before the international treaty to ban landmines was signed.

Nearly 30 countries have been declared mine-free in the last 20 years, but more than 60 million people remain at risk from unexploded munitions.

In 2014, the Ottawa treaty signatory states agreed to complete clearance of all anti-personnel landmines by 2025.

MAG’s Walk Without Fear appeal on BBC Radio 4 was the station’s most successful drive for donations. It raised more than £200,000, which will be doubled by UK aid to more than £400,000.

This will remove mines from 120,000 sq metres of land and add to the £100m commitment over three years made by the Department for International Development in April, which will clear 15m sq metres.