Chinese peacekeeping officers and men to South Sudan praised

A Hercules C-130 transport aircraft landed at the Rumbek Airport in Lakes State of South Sudan on the afternoon of November 3, 2014, local time.

Loaded with 20 tons of fuel oil, the Hercules was warmly welcomed by all present.

The Rumbek Airport used to be so shabby that it only owned dust runway.

However, Chinese peacekeeping officers and men completed the renovation and upgrading for the runway in less than four days, which enabled Hercules's safe landing while easing the increasing pressure of power supply in Lakes state.

The rainy season heavily eroded the roads in South Sudan, and coupled with the armed conflicts in some areas, the land oil supply to Lakes State was interrupted.

The only hope to ease local power pressure is left to the Rumbek Airport that used to be only available for small aircraft, according to sources.

It is no wonder that when the state coordinator at the Rumbek Base of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) saw the landing of Hercules, he firmly held the hands of an officer of the Chinese peacekeeping engineer detachment to South Sudan and said: "The fuel oil is finally here. I must extend our gratitude to you on behalf of the UNMISS and the people in Lakes State!"