The humanitarian mine action assistance launched in 2002 "has saved lives, created jobs, encouraged more than $104-million in World Bank loans, and boosted Mozambique's economic recovery along segments of the line that were cleared earlier in the project, the State Department said.

Under the US Humanitarian Mine Action Programme, approximately $46-million have been given in aid to Mozambique since 1993.

The 670km Sena Railway connects Beira, Mozambique's main seaport, to its resource-rich interior.

Before the railway line was damaged and mined by Renamo insurgents in 1984, it carried 2,4-million tonnes of freight annually and several hundred passengers daily, the State Department said.

After it was sabotaged, not one train used it for more than 20 years.

The government of Mozambique calculates that when fully operational, the railway will enable the country to tap a potential of 10-million tonnes of high-grade coal annually, and to exploit its other valuable resources such as gold, copper, and diamonds.

Mozambique's agricultural sector, which once employed tens of thousands, should also recover.

Clearance of mines and unexploded ordnance on one section of the Sena Railway has already led to the re-building of a concrete plant employing more than 500 workers.

Jobs for 2 000 workers are projected on the rail line itself.

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Mozambique railway mines cleared

BBC News: 18 October 2006

Mozambique's Sena Railway, which has not been used for 20 years, has been cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance, says the US State Department.

The 670km long railway line connects Mozambique's main port city, Beira, with its resource-rich interior.

Renamo insurgents damaged the railway and laid mines in 1984 during Mozambique's civil war.

Before it was attacked the Sena Railway carried more than 2 million tonnes of freight every year.

The line also carried several hundred passengers daily.

Mineral rich

The US State Department invested some $13 million in the clearance project, which took just over two years to complete.

The Government of Mozambique believes that once operational, the railway will enable the country to tap into its valuable resources such as gold, copper and diamonds.

The government says they should be able to produce more than 10 million tonnes of high-grade coal annually thanks to the railway.

The benefits of the line are already being felt in Mozambique. Clearance of one section of the Sena Railway has resulted in the reconstruction of a concrete plant employing more than 500 workers. There is no indication when trains may start running again.

The line itself should create 2,000 jobs, according to the US State Department.

As well as serving Mozambique's transport needs, the line could also provide access to the sea for neighbouring, landlocked Malawi.

Mozambique is littered with landmines after 26 years of conflict, including a war for independence and subsequent civil war.