The Chinese peacekeepers conduct boat evacuation.
By Wang Xi, He Shun and Chen Shixian
BEIJING, Mar. 2 -- The 23rd Chinese peacekeeping engineer contingent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on February 29 organized an emergency evacuation drill in a bid to effectively respond to possible large-scale attacks.
It is learnt that this drill was carried out under scenarios of totally 18 situations, including unknown military elements lingering around the Chinese camp, refugees seeking asylum, clashes between government forces and rebel groups, unidentified militants launching attacks on the Chinese camp from multiple locations, treatment of wounded peacekeepers and evacuation of troops and so on. The drill comprehensively tested and improved the emergency response capabilities of Chinese peacekeepers.
Unlike previous exercises, the training subject of troop evacuation from the mission area was added in the drill for the first time.
According to the drill plan, the security situation had deteriorated beyond the control and the enemy violently attacked the Chinese barracks and blocked the main roads. Under such circumstances, the Chinese peacekeeping force adopted the plan to transfer to an island by waterway and wait for rescue.
During the drill, the Chinese peacekeepers, carrying personal combat supplies, classified documents and all weapons and ammunition, gathered at Peninsula Pier and evacuated to a central island of Lake Kivu in bathes with rubber boats. All the peacekeepers arrived safely at the designated location after nearly two hours of water-borne transport.
After that, they built a point-based defense system based on the terrain of the island. The commanding team of the drill checked and evaluated the logistic support and defensive capabilities and maneuverability of the troops after the island evacuation.
“Although the current security situation in the DRC mission area is getting stable, we must keep a close eye on combat readiness, so that we can respond to emergencies quickly and effectively,” said Lieutenant Colonel Hou Yong, commanding officer of the 23rd Chinese peacekeeping contingent to DRC.