PLA engineers in South Sudan amidst flames of war

The 13th peacekeeping engineer detachment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) to South Sudan (Wau) began the mission of closing the Raga Base as assigned by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). This is the first time for peacekeeping troops in the mission area to perform such missions.

According to the order from the Wau base, PLA's peacekeeping engineer detachment has to send an engineering team of 30 people to the Raga base to perform the 25-day-long engineering mission and send long-haul vehicles maneuvering back and forth regularly between the Wau base and the Raga base to transfer and retrace materials.

Up to now, the peacekeeping troops have overcome the challenges and successfully transferred most of the equipment and materials. They have dispatched vehicles for nearly one hundred times and covered the mileage of 4,000 kilometers.

"It is a tough battle."　　

The Raga Base is located in the northwest of South Sudan, a very remote location. Concerning the situation, the United Nations (UN) made a decision to close the Raga base and the main task was given to Chinese engineers.

In December 2013, only two years after its independence, a large-scale civil war broke in South Sudan. The war stretched for several months until June 2014, as a result of the rainy season, impassable roads and difficulties in military deployment. However, since November as the country came to the dry season, the government and the rebels began to mobilize troops frequently and regional conflicts occurred.

Besides, local officials of Raga claimed that the area had been subjected to Sudan's bombing in October, and at least 35 people were killed and 17 people were injured. This has caused continued tension between the two countries. There is a big security threat for Chinese peacekeepers to enter the Raga area at this time.

There are also prominent contradictions among the detachment. The transfer and the rotation were just finished on December 2 and the detachment is not very familiar with the situation in the mission area.

On one hand, the road between Wau and Raga is unpaved which is difficult for vehicles to move. Previous transportation of persons and materials depended on air. There are many variables in the pre-survey, the deployment of personnel and transportation if the detachment takes the land route.

On the other hand, the detachment just arrived in the mission area and thus is not familiar with the performance of vehicles. During long maneuver, there is a possibility that the vehicle is damaged and is beyond repair, which might induce emergencies.

"It is a tough battle!" said the leader of the detachment. But officials from the UNMISS have repeatedly stressed that closing the Raga Base is the priority and the project must be started as soon as possible. Full retracement of persons and materials must be completed in early January 2015.

The detachment realized that the overall deployment plan of the UNMISS and the safety of staff at the Raga Base are closely associated with this mission. Therefore, it must be unconditionally completed. The detachment replied with a formal written notice: "We will conduct the route reconnaissance within three days. We will send the team to the Raga Base within one week. Please trust the professional quality of Chinese engineers!"

After intense preparatory work, Zhang Shimin, chief of staff of the detachment, led a team of five people and completed the full survey of driving route on December 5, 2014, providing valuable firsthand information for evacuation.

On December 9, Zhang Shimin led a team to march for 21 hours and successfully deployed the operation unit to the Raga Base. George Mansour, director of the logistics center of the Wau Base, wrote to the detachment to express special thanks: Thanks for the help and support from Chinese engineers. You have demonstrated the friendly and cooperative spirit.