China donates 3.1M surgical facemasks for unified forces in South Sudan

Hua Ning (R), Chinese ambassador to South Sudan, hands over medical equipment donated by the Chinese government to South Sudanese health officials on July 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Gale Julius)

The Chinese government on Monday handed over 3.1 million medical surgical masks to South Sudan to help protect soldiers assembled in various training and cantonment sites against COVID-19.

Stephen Wiw Bichiok, Head of the National Transitional Committee Secretariat said that the medical surgical facemasks will be distributed across training centers, cantonment centers, and barracks where the unified forces are camped.

"The pandemic is not yet over. We still have to be cautious if we want to live in the end, we are grateful to China. China recently donated rice to the ministry of foreign affairs which was distributed to soldiers in training and cantonment sites," said Bichiok during the handover ceremony in the South Sudan capital, Juba.

Under the 2018 revitalized peace agreement, the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) is supposed to graduate 83,000 unified forces to take charge of security during the ongoing transitional period that ends in April 2023.

Charles Tai Gituai, chairperson of the Revitalized Joint Evaluation Monitoring Mechanism (R-JMEC), the body that monitors the peace deal, hailed the Chinese government for supporting the peace process in South Sudan.

"I know that the government of China right from the beginning of 2014 has been very generous in support of IGAD and the parties throughout their negotiations," said Gituai.

"There are quite a lot of donations they have continued to donate and particularly at the time that we began the issue of cantonment of forces, China was the main supporter of this. The Chinese supported the South Sudan peace process. I know they have been able to support with tents, blankets, mosquito nets, and also with tons of rice," he disclosed.

Gituai disclosed that the Chinese government has also supported the construction of boreholes in both training and cantonment sites.

He called on the international community to support South Sudan in regard to the implementation of the critical security arrangements under chapter two of the peace agreement, adding that this is very critical for peace and security.

Hua Ning, Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan, said the medical-surgical masks will protect the health of the soldiers and enable them to better perform their duty of safeguarding the people.

"Over the years China has been a staunch supporter, participant, and contributor to the peace process in South Sudan. China took the lead in providing in-kind assistance for the construction of the unified forces, and donated office equipment to various ministries of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity," said Hua.

Hua noted that they are working in coordination with the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (DDRC) of South Sudan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support the training of disarmed and demobilized ex-combatants.

"It is our firm belief that without development, there will be no lasting peace. While supporting the peace process and providing humanitarian aid, China actively supports the development of health, education, and infrastructure in South Sudan in an attempt to benefit more ordinary people with the peace progress," he added.