By Wang Yunsheng and Yu Hao
The handover ceremony of Chinese peacekeeping helicopter contingents takes place at the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) camp on October 29, local time. (Photo by Wang Yunsheng)
KHARTOUM, Nov. 1 -- China’s first two peacekeeping helicopter contingents to Abyei held a handover ceremony at the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) camp on October 29, local time.
Besides the handover of equipment, weapons and ammunition, and medical equipment, they also exchanged ideas on the security situation, tasks, public health, epidemic prevention and control in the mission area.
Chu Zhiqin, commander of China’s first peacekeeping helicopter contingent to Abyei, said that in the past two years, the contingent has carried out tasks in two mission areas, setting a record as the longest overseas peacekeeping mission of China, and has won two consecutive UN Peace Medals of Honor.
It is learnt that China’s second peacekeeping helicopter contingent to Abyei is mainly composed of personnel selected from an army aviation brigade under the PLA 82nd Group Army. With an area of about 10,000 square kilometers, the Abyei region is one of the disputed areas between Sudan and South Sudan in Africa.
