United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) welcomes Chinese engineers to build camps
UNAMID today welcomed the arrival of 172 Chinese engineers in Nyala, bring the total number of Chinese engineers in
Darfur to 315 and the total number of UNAMID forces to 8,000.
The Chinese contingent will work primarily on the completion of the Supercamp in Nyala and will expand other UNAMID
camps in Darfur, providing the infrastructure and facilities that will allow more peacekeepers to deploy.
UNAMID's Joint Special Representative Rodolphe Adada and Force Commander General Martin Luther Agwai travelled to Nyala
to welcome the engineers.
'Deployment is our priority,' said Mr Adada, scotching inaccurate reports that the mission was evacuating. 'We are not
withdrawing, on the contrary we are accelerating our deployment. We are building the strength of the mission so we can
protect more personnel and more Darfurians and continue to implement our mandate.'
General Agwai has emphasized the lack of engineering capacity as one of the principal constraints delaying deployment of
more peacekeepers to this under-manned mission.
'Every commander wants the resources to fulfill his assignment,' said Force Commander General Agwai. 'For me it's a very
special day because what we need most is the engineering capacity to build and expand our camps to allow us to increase
the numbers of our deployed forces.'
The Chinese company of engineers includes bridge and road-building detachments, construction and installation units,
maintenance and support teams, and well-drilling specialists. Apart from their work on the Supercamp in Nyala and other
UNAMID bases, the engineers will also assist local communities in Darfur with Quick Impact Projects, such as
well-drilling.
'With the arrival of the Chinese engineers, we will make an actual contribution to the security, stability and
development of Darfur,' said Major Xu Hanfa, deputy commander of the Chinese engineering unit.
Source: United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
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