BRAZZAVILLE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- In the department of Pool, one of the regions most devastated by a bitter civil war in the Republic of Congo, there are clear signs that the country is slowly but surely learning to live with peace after many years of instability.
Located in the southern part of the country, the department was the epicenter of some of the fiercest fighting that pitted the government troops against local militia groups, including the Ninja, between 1998 and 2003.
"But we are learning to restart our lives after five years of civil war that devastated the infrastructure, destroyed the economy and forced large sections of the population to flee," according to a local administrator.
Every month, teachers and other salaried government employees, who work across the department, are forced to travel to the capital Brazzaville to receive their salaries as there are no banks locally.
"The infrastructure that can ensure people receive their payments locally has not been rehabilitated since the end of the conflict between the regular forces and rebel fighters," said one resident, referring to the so-called "Ninjas" led by Frederic Bintsamou, also known as Pasteur Ntumi.
"Every month end, I am forced to go to Brazzaville to receive my salary. Everything has been destroyed here, including the offices of small saving societies," said one teacher, pointing at a destroyed and abandoned building.
"Shortly after the war, I was obliged to walk from Kinkala all the way to Brazzaville to collect my money," said the teacher, noting that the distance involved was well over 75 km.
"Learning has resumed, but the conditions are very difficult. Most schools were destroyed and are yet to be rehabilitated. The ratio per class in primary education is 90 pupils on average," said another teacher, adding that almost all schools relied on teachers hired directly by parents.
However, there are clear signs everywhere you go across the department and also the country that the situation is gradually improving for the better, according to a local non-governmental organization.
In 2005, only 8 percent of the population had access to clean drinking water, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations (OCHA).
Until recently, 20 percent of health facilities in the Pool department remained closed as they had been destroyed during the war, but according to UN agencies operating in the country, the department has already moved from "a state of emergency to that of development."
Perhaps, this is why the region's population has almost doubled due to the gradual return of peace. "The population rose from 186,481 inhabitants in 2000 to 362,358 in 2005," according to official government figures.
In recent times, the department has witnessed "real" signs of peace and on Monday, the National Program for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (PNDDR) was launched with the aim of rehabilitating up to 30,000 former combatants.
"With peace, we are turning our attention to reconstruction and development of Pool. Let us abandon violence," Pool prefect Col. Michel Shanga told a public rally during the launch.
Since the end of hostilities, an integration project has been launched and it is following its normal course, according to local administrators.
"The project, which is funded to the tune of 62 billion CFA francs (93 million euros) by the European Union, has been ongoing since 2006 and is aimed at rehabilitating the Brazzaville-Kinkala-Gambari road," said Shanga, adding that the road will open up the region to the rest of the country.
"We now have a modern road. In two and a half hours, you can make a round trip between Brazzaville and Kinkala. Yesterday, it was only a dream," said one doctor, adding that it was now easier to access one's salary at the end of the month.
