As the sun sets over South Sudan, Wang Yanhui carefully fills a glass bottle with crimson-hued soil – a tangible memory of his year-long UN peacekeeping mission. The head of China’s 15th Peacekeeping Horizontal Engineering Company isn’t just collecting dirt; he’s preserving a symbol of hope in one of the world’s most fragile regions.
🚜 Wang’s team, stationed in Wau, has spent months repairing critical roads that snake through conflict zones. These dusty lifelines connect isolated villages to markets, schools, and medical facilities – literally paving the way for stability. 'Every kilometer we build means safer access for families and aid workers,' Wang explains via video call, his uniform still dusted with orange earth.
💡 Did you know? China is now the UN’s second-largest contributor to peacekeeping funds and the biggest provider of engineering units among permanent Security Council members. From building hospitals to clearing landmines, these blue helmets in orange excavators are rewriting the playbook on conflict zone reconstruction.
As Wang prepares to rotate home, he leaves behind more than just infrastructure: 'The real peacekeeping happens long after we’re gone – in the communities now linked by these roads.' 🌱
