Military Diplomacy

China's Peacekeeping Engineer Detachment Deployed to South Sudan Completes Repair of Main Supply Route in Mission Area

我赴南苏丹维和工兵分队完成任务区主要补给线修复任务

PLA Daily (解放军报) 27 May 2026

Summary

China's 16th peacekeeping engineer detachment in South Sudan (Wau) completed repair of the 150-kilometer Kwajok–Tullare–Abyei Hong main supply route over roughly 50 days, committing 38 personnel and 22 vehicles to fix roadbed collapse, blocked drainage ditches, and damaged bridges while camping in the field throughout. The detachment used a 多处取土、以点带面 ('multi-point soil extraction, using key points to drive the whole') method to solve earthfill logistics under austere conditions. This is a standard operational completion report; its value is as a record of the detachment's engineering throughput and field methods, adding to a documented pattern of PLA peacekeeping units accumulating dual-use infrastructure and logistics experience in African mission areas.

Translation

Our peacekeeping officers and soldiers conduct soil-extraction operations at the construction site. Photo by Shi Hanlin. PLA Daily report by Hou Yonggang and special correspondent Wang Yi: Recently, China's 16th peacekeeping engineer detachment deployed to South Sudan (Wau) completed the repair of the "Kwajok–Tullare–Abyei Hong" main supply route, effectively improving local road conditions and receiving high recognition from the United Nations and local residents.

The supply route stretches 150 kilometers in total length, connecting multiple United Nations mission sites and local residential areas. It is the "lifeline" for humanitarian supplies transport and the "economic lifeline" upon which residents depend for their livelihoods. Due to prolonged armed conflict, natural erosion, and heavy vehicle traffic, the route's passability had severely deteriorated; some road surfaces were heavily damaged, and multiple bridges and culverts required repair.

During construction, our engineer detachment scientifically formulated construction plans, allocated personnel and equipment, and developed an efficient set of construction methods suited to actual conditions. To address the difficulty of transporting earthfill, officers and soldiers adopted a "multi-point soil extraction, using key points to drive the whole" (多处取土、以点带面) approach to rapidly replenish earthfill, both improving construction efficiency and ensuring project quality.

In addition, during breaks between tasks, detachment officers and soldiers provided whatever assistance they could to residents along the route—clearing road obstacles, building water pools, and rescuing stuck vehicles—conveying friendship through concrete action. "Thank you, Chinese peacekeeping soldiers," said local residents who came to see them off at the roadside when the mission concluded.

It is understood that this construction effort committed 38 personnel and 22 vehicles, lasted nearly 50 days, and was conducted with troops camping in the field throughout operations, resolving one by one such problems as roadbed collapse, drainage ditch blockage, and bridge damage. Since deploying to the mission area, the detachment has successively completed, to a high standard, engineering support tasks including Wau Airport, the Wau water station, and the Tonj–Romich supply route.

Original Chinese

我维和官兵在施工现场进行取土作业。史翰林摄解放军报讯侯永刚、特约记者王轶报道：近日，中国第16批赴南苏丹（瓦乌）维和工兵分队完成“科瓦乔克—图拉雷—阿比恩洪”主补给线修复任务，有效改善当地道路通行条件，受到联合国和当地民众的高度肯定。该补给线全长150公里，连接联合国多处任务点和当地民众聚居区，是人道主义物资运输的“生命线”，也是居民赖以生存的“经济线”。由于长期战乱、自然侵蚀和重型车辆的碾压，补给线通行能力严重下降，有些路面严重损毁，多处桥梁和涵洞需要修复。施工过程中，我工兵分队科学制订施工方案、调配兵力装备，结合实际情况探索出一套高效施工作业方法。针对土方转运难度大的情况，官兵采取“多处取土、以点带面”方式快速补充土方，既提高了施工效率又保证了工程质量。此外，分队官兵在任务间隙还为沿线民众提供力所能及的帮助——清理路障、修筑水池、救助陷车，以实际行动传递友谊。“谢谢你们，中国维和军人。”任务结束时，路边送行的当地民众表示。据了解，此次施工投入兵力38人，出动车辆22辆，历时近50天，采取在外宿营方式展开作业，逐一解决了路基坍塌、沟渠堵塞、桥梁受损等问题。该分队自部署至任务区以来，已先后高标准完成瓦乌机场、瓦乌水站、通季—罗米奇补给线等工程保障任务。