EU grants 2.4 million euros for roads in the northeast

The European Union has agreed to give 2.4 million euros (US $2.9 million) to repair damaged roads in two provinces northeast of the Central African Republic's capital, Bangui, to help revitalise economic activities in the area. "The aim of the project is to open up the countryside in order to facilitate the transportation of timber and agricultural products," Sergio Scuero, the EU desk officer for the country, told IRIN on Friday from Brussels. The roads to be repaired run from the towns of Bambari, Ippy and Bria in the provinces of Ouaka and Haute-Kotto. The project is part of a 100-million-euro ($120.5 million) EU grant in aid to the country that resumed on 1 July following the holding of successful elections. The aid had been partially suspended in 2003 after President Francois Bozize's came to power in a coup d'etat. Since Bozize's rebellion, from October 2002 to March 2003, various illegal armed groups have blocked economic activities in rural areas. Security forces have been unable to control the groups in Ouaka and Haute-Kotto, Scuero said. The project will also generate local employment, thus increasing local purchasing power pending the resumption of other economic activities, Scuero said. A much bigger road project is set to start early in 2006 from Bouar, 454 km northwest of Bangui, to the Cameroonian border - the country's major land transport artery to the outside world.