Kundrati

[Dredd]

[Pravda, Kaesama,  November 5646]

Reconstruction efforts begin to bear fruit as Kundrati begins approaching new trade partners

5 years have passed without major incident in the nation as the Romulo fund and many foreign benefactors aid efforts have made strides in helping president Otčenáš and the NRP repair and rebuild the nation. Thus far, all 4 of the major targets that being electricity, water, roads, and agriculture have been significantly improved. Power is now available to 79% of the country as 3 Nuclear power plants have been repaired and retrofitted with modern safety measures previously ignored by the Legionary regime to cut costs. Clean drinking water is now almost universally on the market, in some rare cases such as the more isolated communities in Lirnak, and especially amongst the former inmate populations of the infamous IDL camp who have now conglomerated into new towns in the vicinity, drinking water is transported or stored in water towers. Road networks continue to be rebuilt as the materials for asphalt and concrete remain is a small supply given their mass use to repave the formerly destroyed roads during the 2nd Kundrati war and the regimes scorched earth policies. Finally agriculture proved the easier of the 4 categories to repair as the fields themselves were simply burned and abandoned, the greatest hurdles being purchasing and rebuilding the many barns and silos needed, including importing thousands of Tractors and equipment.



[Damaged buildings, Jildrath coast, many destroyed buildings continue to remain vacated as the nation rebuilds. Analysts believe around 150,000 such ruins still persist.]

In total: Water 98% complete, power 79% complete, agriculture up to 68% former yields since pre-conflict numbers (which were likely exaggerated), and 65% of roads repaved.

Many volunteers and workers continue to unfortunately suffer injury due to the presence of formerly unremoved mines and unexploded ordnance, just last week a 500KG buster bomb presumably dropped by Hutorian aircraft was discovered in ruins of formerly named Legionaria, which required the following 3 closest city blocks to be temporarily vacated as the munition was unable to be disarmed by any Kundrati bomb technicians familiar with the technology and no Hutorians were present in the country willing to risk disarming, and thus a controlled demolition was carried out after being covered with 400 tonnes of sand to reduce damages. Occupying forces still remaining in the country continue to provide effort when able however, and aid most especially in foodstuffs continues to come into the country.

The national budget thankfully continues to climb, but nowhere near pre-war levels, though many departments are receiving equal or superior funding distribution compared to the previous regime thanks to the nearly total lack of a military budget, the exception being the salaries of the former armed forces who have been disarmed except for some small units per the armistice agreement. The former size of the army had been around 1.2 million foot soldiers, which has been reduced to 200,000 men in noncombat roles for emergencies and civilian aid efforts such as distribution of goods and construction, only 5,000 men in the armed forces remain armed for the presidency and any terrorist activity, though many police and paramilitaries remain for policing in what some call a grey area of the agreement with an estimated 200,000 police and paramilitaries who are permitted firearms.

Lastly, the president was eager to announce he had approached and hoped to soon visit Malivia to begin discussions of a new trade deal and economic pact. President Otčenáš stated in his last public address from the palace,

"Luthori, Kalistan, Hutori, Davostag, and all other participants of the conflict have been instrumental in helping us achieve the freedoms we now enjoy that once were punishable, and they have all some more and less contributed to the reconstruction of our nation. But its time for Kundrati to be able to stand on its own two feet, we cannot rely on the generosity of others forever, and me and my cabinet hope that if successful in securing a deal with Malivia we can begin forming our own economic pact with other Artanian powers, lessening Luthoris grip on Kundrati affairs."