The first wave of the second group of Chinese peacekeeping
forces in Sudan returned to Zhengzhou on September 19 after the
successful accomplishment of their mission, assigned by the United
Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and its Second War Zone. All of
the 155 officers and men come from the Jinan Military Area Command
stationed in central China's Henan Province.
The unit was deployed to Sudan on January 16 in order to help
keep the peace, and found life in the African nation to be
measurably different from the one they left behind in China. In
addition to social unrest and a climate that is difficult to
manage, there are also a host of unpleasant animals and insects.
The country is home to several types of mosquitoes, leading to the
prevalence of malaria from bites. Even more dangerous are the
snakes and scorpions that lurk in the shrubs around the camp; there
are over 20 varieties of vipers, many of which can cause
fatality.
What kind of experiences did they have while performing their
peacekeeping duties under such hostile conditions? How did they
balance work and life in Sudan? What was done for the local people?
Fan Yufeng, Vice Director of the Political Department of XX Troop,
who took part in the peacekeeping mission, told his story to
Zhouzhou Evening News.
People with guns fill the streets
Fan went to Sudan in January as a member of the Chinese
peacekeeping forces.
The weather in Sudan was intensely hot and humid, regularly
reaching forty to fifty degrees centigrade. Sudan is also severely
suffering from poverty and war, seen daily in the remnant shrapnel,
and refugee camps filled with people in rags.
Fan described his astonished reaction to the surroundings: "If
you look out from car windows when driving, you can easily spot
people riding bicycles with guns mounted on the handlebars,
shopkeepers at the roadside with guns under their counters, and
people chatting with guns on their shoulders." Fan said that there
was always danger, particularly in transportation.
Difficulties in successful deliveries
UNMIS and the transportation control department ordered the
group to deliver more than 300 containers to Anwil and Rumbek in
early April. It was only 245 kilometers from Wau to Rumbek, but the
potholed road was treacherous, full of mine fields, bandits, and
checkpoints.
More than 20 fully loaded container trucks started out April 16.
The officers and men knew what to expect, but they were still
surprised by the condition of the road outside of Wau. It was
extremely narrow and there were many jungles and swamps. Craters
several meters long were often in the middle of the road, some of
them more than 1 meter deep.
There was a rough road of 60 kilometers not far from downtown
Wau, which made the 20-ton container trucks jolt, and people in the
cabs felt sick to their stomachs. What was worse, a 20-kilometer
section of road had been washed out by rain; the middle of the road
was almost 1 meter higher than the two sides, and the trucks drove
tilted at an angle of 20 to 30 degrees. The dust triggered by the
trucks brought the range of visibility down to a maximum of 100
meters, forcing the caravan to move forward slowly with emergency
lights on.
The truck line had to pass 4 dangerous bridges, one of which had
collapsed and was only supported by four gasoline cans full of sand
and stones. There were checkpoints at every intersection between
two administrative divisions and soldiers watched over them with
guns at the ready. Skirmishers could be found everywhere along the
roads, often walking around defiantly holding guns. The defending
Kenyan troop was quite nervous; they never got off the trucks and
guns were always in their hands.
After a trying ordeal, the materials were delivered to Rumbek at
3:40 PM on the 17th, an 8 hours and 40 minutes journey.
Battle with the rats
Soldiers were not always faced with a human enemy. In March, the
unit was plagued with rats that chewed through food and clothing.
They were often seen in the mess hall, and mousetraps seemed to
have no effect on them.
The transportation team invited Doctor Zhu Tao from the medical
team to help find a solution.
Thanks to Zh's suggestion, articles in storage were properly
sealed and corners were completely cleaned. The warm beds of the
rodents were destroyed, holes were filled, poisons were properly
distributed, and several kinds of mousetraps were installed in the
cooking area. These methods worked well, with more than 70 pests
captured or killed.
A surgery with eleven firsts
April 21, 2007 is a day that Fan will never forget, because on
that day, the medical team carried out a special cataract ECCE
surgery. Although it was not a major surgery, doctor Li Yi
experienced eleven "firsts" for his career: carrying out such a
surgery in a foreign hospital; working without an operation
microscope; operating without electricity; operating using
flashlights; operating on a patient as young as 30; working in a
room without eye surgery instruments or disinfection materials;
working with an African man as an assistant; performing surgery in
a room with temperatures over 50 degrees; closing a wound without
operating loupes; performing cataract extraction with intraocular
lens using the naked eye; and, performing surgery without
viscoelastic material.
Despite these disadvantaged conditions, the medical team carried
out the surgery based on their experience. After surgery, the
patient could see fingers in front of his eyes, although long-term
recovery success remains to be seen.
(China.org.cn by Yang Xi and Li Xiaohua, September 25, 2007)