Rebuilding bridges to reunite the country

As new bridges are laid in Angola, replacing those broken or blown up during the war, previously isolated communities are slowly being opened up. The quickly-built military bridges are not only a short-term solution to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, they also open the door to trade and long-term development in many rural areas. The bridge over the Quissafo river, 65 km north of N'dalatando, the provincial capital of Cuanza Norte, was blown up during the 1980s. Driving between N'dalatando and the provincial capital of Uige further to the north required a detour through the bush and the use of a small, temporary bridge - a route that was only passable during the dry season. The new bridge and road will provide tens of thousands of people with access to World Food Programme (WFP) aid, and the markets in N'dalatando. "The area has recently been made available to returnees. We need the bridge to get through during the rainy season - without it, people would be without food for between three and six months," Uladip Onayemi, WFP's base manager in N'dalatando told IRIN. The Quissafo river bridge is the last of nine key bridges around the country to be built by the Swedish Rescue Service Agency (SRSA) on behalf of WFP. "It was hard to live here during the war. If you look closely at the trees, you will find bullets in them. This whole area was a battlefield. Many trucks, especially the ones carrying food, were ambushed and the drivers were killed," said Francisco João Diogo, one of 10 local men from the National Institute for Roads in Angola (INEA) helping the SRSA to build the bridge. His colleague, Pedro Manuel Antonio, is a mechanic in INEA. "It is hard work, but the bridge is an important step forward for the development of the region. It will help us to get in contact with other people again, to develop a market and get easier access to food. During the rainy season we have always lacked food – corn, vegetable oil, salt, fish," Antonio said. Ten casual workers from the surrounding villages also work on the site, receiving food and US $5 every day. They arrive early in the morning, wearing torn clothes and light sandals, in contrast to the men from INEA, who wear helmets and boots. After the bridge was blown up, the forest took over the road. Some 250 metres had to be cut down to reach the site. Before the work started, a de-mining team from Norwegian Peoples’ Aid cleared the area. When IRIN visited, the workers were putting together a much larger and heavier 36-metre bridge to span the river. The air was intensely hot and humid and the workers' faces and bodies were wet with sweat. The three-by-three metre frame sections were quickly put together and the metal skeleton slowly stretched over the river towards the other shore. It was anticipated that it would take six or seven days to complete the bridge. Tomas João Neto is one of the casual workers. He was born in one of the villages close to the river but, 12 years ago, when he was seven years old, he moved to the capital, Luanda, to escape the encroaching war. Four months ago he came back with his three brothers, three sisters and his mother. His father died just before they returned. He usually works in his field where they grow sweet potatoes, beans, onion, manioc and maize. "It's a nice change to work here, and the money is important. I am the only one in my family who earns money. Five dollars is not much, but I think I will be able to buy some clothes and food in N'dalatando," Neto said. It is 60 km from his village to N'dalatando, and he will have to take a bus to go there. A return ticket will cost him more than $10. Neto thinks the bridge will make a big difference to the village. "When it is ready, many people will return. This used to be a crowded area, now only 300 people live here. In two years there will be a lot more people here again," he predicted.