Vietnamese engineers help Abyei people overcome flood season

Two damaged iron boats that could not be used were recently repaired by Vietnamese engineers and handed over to the people of Abyei for use during the flood season.

The hardships of the rainy season in Abyei

During the 2022 rainy season, the Vietnam Engineer Corps No. 1 witnessed the destruction of the transportation system, many residential areas were isolated, houses and properties were flooded, and many houses collapsed. This year, the rainy season came earlier, in early June there were many heavy rains and strong winds that caused some thatched houses (Tukul) to collapse... signaling the beginning of another heavy rainy and flood season.

The Vietnamese Engineering Team hands over boats to the people of Abyei. (Source: Vietnamese Engineering Team)

Floods and rains make life very difficult for people. After each heavy rain and strong winds, many families have to stand under the trees to take shelter from the rain. Roads are impassable, and people can only walk on muddy paths.

If the rain is heavy and continuous, the villages and residential areas will certainly be severely flooded and completely isolated from the outside world. The UNISFA Mission organizes daily patrols and meets with the people in the villages to grasp the local security situation. Once, when the Military Observer Group stationed at Banton Base met with the people of Rumamier Village, the village chief asked the UNISFA Mission to help repair two iron boats that had been leaking and unusable for many years. According to the people, due to the broken boat, during the last rainy season, a woman gave birth in the village on the other side of the river and could not be transferred to the medical facility on this side of the river, so the baby died... In this place, during the rainy season, iron boats are the only means of transportation for people to earn a living, a savior for transporting food, taking sick people to medical facilities, taking students to school... Immediately after receiving the report from the Banton Military Observer Team, in response to the request of the Village Chief and local people of Rumamier village, the Acting Chief of Mission, and Military Commander Major General Benjamin O. Saywerr, directed the Vietnamese Engineer Team to study a plan to help repair boats for the people of Rumamier County. This is an important humanitarian - military-civilian coordination activity of the Mission, affirming UNISFA's commitment to peace, security and safety of the people.

Resurrecting the Iron Boats

Following the direction of the Mission's leadership, the Vietnamese Engineering Team quickly contacted the Military Observer Group and the Ghanaian Infantry Battalion in charge of the area to organize the return of the damaged boats to the Vietnamese barracks for repair. These iron boats were built a long time ago and were exposed to the sun and rain, so they were rotten, rusted, and severely damaged, with many holes, some of which were 20 or 30cm wide. The engineering soldiers had to treat the rusted and rotten parts, then cut thin steel plates, and welded them to cover the holes. After checking to make sure there were no more water leaks, they applied anti-rust paint and painted the words "Peace for Rumamier" with the hope that the war would end in this area and the people would live in peace. Recently, the Vietnamese Engineering Team coordinated with the Civil-Military Relations Department (Department U9) to organize the handover for the villagers to use.

Attending and chairing the handover ceremony was the Deputy Commander of the UNISFA Mission, Brigadier General Abu Syed Mohammod Bakir. Also attending the event were Ms. Violet Lusala - United Nations High Commissioner of Police, Mr. Alexander Gerard Rose - Chief of Staff of the Mission and heads of UNISFA departments and units.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Brigadier General Abu Syed Mohammod Bakir - Deputy Commander of the UNISFA Mission, congratulated the villagers of Rumamier for having two sturdy and beautiful boats that are as good as new, a much-needed means of transport during the approaching rainy season.

At the same time, he also praised the sense of responsibility as well as the capacity and professional expertise of the staff of the Vietnam Engineering Team.

“I am very proud and moved from the bottom of my heart to preside over the handover of the two boats to the villagers of Rumamier County,” he said.

On behalf of the UNISFA Mission leadership, I commend the Vietnamese Engineering Team for successfully repairing two iron boats for the villagers. The boats are as beautiful as new. You guys worked very professionally.

This event once again affirms the strong commitment of the UN peacekeeping mission in Abyei to ensure security and safety for local people."

Also during the handover ceremony, local representatives expressed their deep gratitude to the Mission and the Vietnamese Engineering Team for helping the people with a very meaningful task, which no UN peacekeeping unit in Abyei has ever done before.

Rumamier County residents are happy to have a means of transporting food and taking children to school. (Source: Vietnam Engineering Team)

During this year’s rainy season, the people of Rumamier County have had the means to transport food, take children to school, and especially take sick people to medical facilities conveniently. Local representatives also requested the Vietnamese Army of Engineers to continue repairing three more boats in Mijak Village, about 5km from Rumamier.

In response to this request, Brigadier General Abu Syed Mohammod Bakir - Deputy Commander of the UNISFA Mission continued to assign the Vietnamese Engineering Team to support local people, and requested relevant units of the Mission to closely coordinate with the Vietnamese unit to receive and hand over.

He also assigned the Head of the Civil-Military Relations Department (Department U9) to report the results of humanitarian activities to the UN Headquarters in New York.

Baoquocte.vn