By Li Zhiqiang
URUMQI, Sept. 23 (ChinaMil) -- At around 22:30 on September 20, a China’s military plane slowly landed at the Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The first 120-person echelon of China’s 22nd peacekeeping engineer contingent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) returned home after accomplishing the peacekeeping missions entrusted by the United Nations (UN).
This is the first time that China has dispatched a military plane to the DRC mission area to take peacekeepers home, instead of using commercial airliners during the past 16 years.
China’s 22nd peacekeeping engineer contingent to the DRC totaled 218 members. Since arriving at the mission area in the DRC, they have overcome various difficulties and threats such as turbulent situation in the presidential election, harsh environment of material shortages and frequent outbreaks of Ebola. They have acquitted themselves of engineering and medical support tasks assigned by the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), including road repairing, bridge building, ammunition disposal, medical rescue, sanitation and epidemic prevention as well as humanitarian relief.
The 2nd 98-person echelon of China’s 22nd peacekeeping engineer contingent to the DRC will return to China by PLA military plane on September 27, local time, after the handover with the 23rd of its counterpart.