Xinhua News Agency, Marigao, August 20th Newsletter: Continuing the Story of Lei Feng in the West African Mission Area – The ninth batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops to Mali
Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Zizheng Wang Hongyang Shao Xuchang
“Chinese soldiers never forget to do their best to help local people in need. You have brought the spirit of Lei Feng to the world.” Joseph, an officer in charge of civil-military coordination at the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), was visiting After finishing the Lei Feng Memorial Hall in Marigao, he said with emotion.
In the camp of the ninth batch of Chinese peacekeeping engineers to Mali located in Gao, there is a Lei Feng Memorial Hall covering an area of about 100 square meters. Completed in June 2017, the memorial hall tells the story of Lei Feng’s adversity growth, factory training, and military camp quenching. It displays 11 representative diaries and 9 stories of Lei Feng during his lifetime. Over the years, the peacekeepers have gradually improved the facilities of the memorial hall, and at the same time, they have been practicing the Lei Feng spirit in their missions.
The West African country of Mali is home to many armed factions, frequent terrorist attacks and harsh natural environment. However, for the ninth batch of China’s peacekeeping engineer detachment to Mali, adversity is better, and hardening can only make steel.
Since arriving at the mission area in August last year, every time the officers and soldiers arrive at a camp where they need to work, before they have time to rest, the tasks are immediately rolled out – building air defense shelters, leveling road sites, repairing damaged facilities, cleaning oily soil, sorting waste Garbage… Dirty work, heavy work, tiring work, the officers and soldiers are all rushing to do it. When they came, the camp was dilapidated; when they left, the camp was brand new.
As the situation in Mali continues to be volatile, large numbers of refugees have gathered in Gao and Ménaka. The Chinese peacekeepers took the initiative to contact the UN welfare department and donated rice noodles, medicines, stationery and other materials. The refugees were moved when they received cardboard boxes marked with five-star red flags and filled with daily necessities.
“We are especially grateful to the Chinese peacekeepers for giving us the most sincere help at our most difficult time,” said a resident of Gao.
Malian sociologist Abdurrahman Diko said that the Chinese peacekeepers played a decisive role in protecting the super camp of the MINUSMA and contributed to the defense of Gao, and the people of Gao gave high regard to the Chinese troops. Evaluation.
Zhang Xuyang is the platoon leader of the Menaka detachment of the ninth Chinese peacekeeping engineer detachment to Mali. In October 2021, his three-dimensional squadron was dispatched to Menaca, more than 300 kilometers away from Gao, to perform a contingent mission. Menaka, near the border with Niger, is one of Mali’s highest-risk areas, where terrorist groups are active.
Early one morning, the sound of rockets breaking through the air suddenly resounded over the Menaka super camp. The duty post immediately sounded the alarm and shouted on the walkie-talkie: “Curve firearm strike, covert!”
38 officers and soldiers entered the bunker in the shortest time. Immediately afterwards, a rocket hit the east side of a civilian board house in the super battalion. Zhang Xuyang was calm in the face of danger, and immediately directed his comrades to enter the bunker, gathered and counted the personnel, stabilized the thoughts of the personnel, and completed the briefing to the team within 3 minutes.
In Menaka, Zhang Xuyang not only had to lead the officers and soldiers to complete the construction tasks, but also took on the command of the fast-reaction unit. Facing the unfamiliar environment, complex security situation and heavy infrastructure tasks, he was always conscientious and meticulous. During the 10-month mission period, the 38-member contingent successfully completed more than 20 engineering tasks such as building bunkers, repairing roads, and erecting prefabricated houses, which were highly praised by UN officials and friendly troops.
Wang Meng, deputy commander of the Chinese peacekeeping engineer unit in Mali, said: “Whenever we encounter friendly troops, United Nations employees, or local people in Mali, they will give us thumbs up, nod and smile at us, and say ‘China , awesome’, and a sense of pride and purpose in our hearts.”
Brigadier General Stephen Anderson, commander-in-chief of the Eastern Theater Command of MINUSMA, left a message when visiting the Lei Feng Memorial Hall: “From you, I feel that Lei Feng’s spirit contains responsibility, professionalism, diligence, and friendliness. You have won MINUSMA and the local community with your actions. public recognition and respect.”
(Wang Zizheng Wang Hongyang Shao Xuchang)
[Editor in charge: Xu Dan]