UK Troops start engineering work in Malakal Protection of Civilians Site

UK Troops start engineering work in Malakal Protection of Civilians Camp

UK Troops start engineering work in Malakal Protection of Civilians Camp

5 May 2017

UK Troops start engineering work in Malakal Protection of Civilians Site

Janet Adongo

British military engineers have arrived in Malakal to join the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. The UK Engineers have started work to upgrade a culvert on a main supply road that is used by both civilian and UN military personnel to access the Protection of Civilians site. The road had weathered and narrowed dangerously and was mostly unusable during the rainy season due to blocked drainage and flooding. 

 

Engineering Section commander Corporal Jay Buckton and his team have been working round the clock to have the culvert complete and the road ready for use in 5-7 days. “This is just one of the many engineering projects that we’ll be undertaking. We’ve come with a positive attitude and we are ready to contribute anyway we can to make the conditions more bearable for everyone living and working here,” he said.

 

Locals as well as humanitarians living and working at the POC, who have previously been cut off especially when it rains, are enthusiastic about the culvert’s reconstruction, as this will ease their interactions within and outside the site. The UNMISS Head of Field Office in Malakal Hazel Dewet expressed her contentment about the deployment of the UK engineers. “I am extremely pleased with the exceptionally professional and speedy workmanship that they are bringing to assist UNMISS to perform our mandate. Their support in our engineering requirements for example, managing our movement during the rainy season, is critical for us to continue operational readiness. Therefore, the work on our drainage system such as the culverts will allow us to work well and efficiently even during the dire conditions in the rainy season.

 

There are currently around 130 British troops in Malakal.  At full strength, the UK Engineering Contingent will total over 300 divided between Malakal and Bentiu.  An additional 80 UK personnel will deploy to provide and support a Level 2 Hospital in Bentiu.