A Chinese peacekeeping unit will be deployed in Sudan's Darfur region in early October, an official with Ministry of National Defence said on Saturday.

The unit consists of 315 people. They are divided into three engineer platoons, one well sinking platoon and one field hospital, Dai Shao'an, vice director of the peacekeeping affairs office with the ministry, told Xinhua.

On invitation of the UN Security Council, the unit was founded on 13 June in the Jinan Military Command of the People's Liberation Army and has been trained for multi-functional engineering troop.

The unit will fly to join a UN hybrid international peacekeeping force for Darfur.

Their main responsibility is to build roads and bridges and dig wells to prepare for the deployment of the hybrid international forces for Darfur.

The unit has been equipped with 145 vehicles including bulldozers, grabs and other constructing facilities as well as 315 small arms, said the vice director.

The engineers have been provided with necessary training and education of the UN constitutions, international laws and English language to fulfil the peacekeeping mission in Darfur.

(Xinhua News Agency September 16, 2007)