China sends 435 peacekeepers to Sudan

Jan 18, 2007 (BEIJING) — China is sending 435 troops to Sudan to replace its peacekeepers that was first deployed in the troubled African country in May 2006.

The 435 peacekeepers include a 275-troop engineering division, a 100-troop transportation division and a 60-troop medical division. They will be deployed in Sudan by the end of this month.

A team of 40 engineers, 55 transport troops and 40 medical staff left for Sudan from China’s central Henan Province on Tuesday.

The peacekeepers will mostly help with infrastructure construction, including roads, bridges, airports and water supplies, and offer technical and medical support within their jurisdiction.

The Chinese peace-keeping force is set to finish a six-year mission in Sudan, the longest since China began participating in United Nations peacekeeping operations in 1990. In May 2005, China sent its first group of peacekeepers to Sudan following a UN Security Council resolution.

China has contributed more UN peacekeepers than any of the four other permanent members of the UN Security Council since it began to participate in UN peacekeeping operations in 1990.

China has so far dispatched some 6,000 military personnel to 16 UN peacekeeping operations.

(Xinhua)