- As peace is ruling in most of Congo Kinshasa (DRC), reconstruction also has begun. Today, the large rail line from Lubumbashi in the extreme south to the eastern Congolese town of Kindu has been reopened. The line is about 1400 kilometres long and will be used for food and other relief supplies to the troubled east.
Long awaited food and other relief supplies are headed to Kindu in eastern Congo today on a rail line that had been inoperative for six post-war years, the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (MONUC) has announced. "On this day, a large chunk of the suffering that has come as a direct result of the DRC's civil - and arguably regional - war will start to be alleviated," said MONUC spokesman Jennifer Bakody.
Known as the "peace train", the line starts in the south-eastern town of Lubumbashi, near the Congolese border with Zambia. From the border, the rail line is connected with the Zambian capital, Lusaka, and from there, most of the railway network in Southern Africa.
Kindu, on the other hand, is located far from Southern Africa, at the same height as the troubled, blockaded Congolese city of Bukavu and Rwanda and Burundi. The town of Kindu has an estimated 200,000 inhabitants and is located on the mighty Congo River.
After two years of fierce fighting, there was no train service for the next six. Kindu residents and other people in the war affected province would transport baskets of food, other goods and water on their heads or backs, often walking in the high weeds along the rail line.
Lack of transportation also denied them access to reading material, safe drinking water and adequate nutrition. The UN-sponsored 'Radio Okapi' and its publications have been their only reliable source of information, Ms Bakody of MONUC said.
In preparation for the train's arrival today, dozens of local people painted the small concrete station near the River Congo and built a big wooden stage for dignitaries. The event was marked as a big achievement for the nearly begun reconstruction of the country.
As the Kindu train now again has started operating, it will mainly be used in the demanding relief work in eastern Congo. According to MONUC, the train will convey wagonloads of salt, sugar and medicine from international development agencies working in partnership with the UN.
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