Vietnamese peacekeepers and their 10,000-km long journey

The soldiers left Vietnam on June 12 and arrived in Abyei three days later. The first dispatch, comprising 28 soldiers, arrived in Abyei in early May to begin a new mission.

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The Engineering Unit Rotation 1, which debuted on November 17, 2011, will help provide humanitarian assistance and support the UN delegations in peacekeeping in the area. On June 12 they departed from Vietnam’s Noi Bai International Airport to Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport.

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Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr who is Force Commander of the United Nation’s Interim Military Security Mission in Abiyei, South Sudan, welcomed Vietnamese soldiers to Uganda.

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On June 14 Vietnamese soldiers were divided into three teams to move from Entebbe (Uganda) to Kadougli (Sudan).

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This is the first time Vietnam has sent military engineers to join UN peacekeeping operations. Apart from peacekeeping, they will ensure transport, perform road maintenance, help reconstruct the UN base, and provide support for local people by building community houses, schools, and other public facilities.

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On June 15 they continue their journey on nine UN helicopters.

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They arrived in Abyei by air the same day.

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Colonel Mac Duc Trong, head of the Engineering Unit Rotation 1 and commander of the Vietnamese peacekeeping force at UNISFA received Vietnamese soldiers at the airport.