Party members' mettle in Abyei - Part 1: Party committees go first, paving the way

During nearly a year at the United Nations Interim Security Mission in Abyei (UNISFA), despite many difficulties, the officers and staff of the 3rd Engineer Team have always been steadfast, loyal and have absolute trust in the leadership of the Party, have many solutions to lead the unit to excellently complete the tasks, and have been highly appreciated by the leaders of the UNISFA Mission; and have received precious and friendly feelings from the government and people of the Abyei region. The series of articles "Party members' mettle in Abyei" will help readers better understand the leadership of the Party Committee of the Department (hereinafter referred to as the Party Committee) of the 3rd Engineer Team and the special tasks that the officers and party members here have experienced.

Early in the afternoon of May 25, at Highway Base, clouds and fog rolled in from somewhere, the sky darkened. A storm blew up, carrying with it a cloud of dust and sand. We quickly closed the doors of our rooms and stayed inside. A few minutes later, the Abyei area seemed to be in a war. Thunder and lightning boomed, followed by heavy rain. The rain pounded against the corrugated iron roof and the walls.

Vietnam's 3rd Engineer Team trains against ambushes. Photo: QUOC KHANH

The first persistent rain of the season signaled a difficult season for the 3rd Engineer Team - those tasked with ensuring the engineering and traffic lifelines for the UNISFA Mission and the people in the area. When our ears got used to the high-intensity sound, we saw that the face of Lieutenant Colonel Le Hong Giang, Party Secretary and Political Commissar of the 3rd Engineer Team looked tense. He turned around, his voice worried:

- The rain is coming so fast that the troops on the front line won't have time to gather. We should probably prepare for rescue.

Having said that, Mr. Giang took out his cell phone and called Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hao, the Team Leader. Sitting next to him, in the pouring rain, we could hear the conversation between the two. At the end of the call, Mr. Giang said that the rescue force was prepared and ready to go. If the units outside the line came to request support, the brothers would go immediately. At this point, we understood that the war in the Abyei area had entered a new phase, much more fierce and difficult.

The Abyei area is a complex area with many potential conflicts, despite the efforts of the UNISFA Mission forces to prevent and organize humanitarian activities. We remember vividly the first days when we set foot on this land and were informed by the UNISFA Mission security experts: Unexpected conflict situations may arise here.

It is a conflict over administrative boundaries, resource management rights (especially oil), tax collection rights and political influence between two large Dinka groups: Ngok Dinka (Abyei) and Twic Dinka (Warrap state of South Sudan). Since the end of 2023, armed attacks and retaliation have continuously occurred, especially in the south of Abyei and the area bordering Warrap, causing many deaths, including UN peacekeepers .

These are conflicts over land use rights, water resources, and grazing areas between the Ngok Dinka (the main inhabitants of Abyei) and the Misseriya (Arab nomads from Sudan, seasonal migrants). These conflicts often flare up during the migration season, when the Misseriya move their livestock through Abyei in search of water and pasture.

In addition, there was a conflict between the Twic Dinka Armed Youth (Titweng) from Warrap allied with the forces of spiritual general Gai Machiek (Unity state) and some groups of the South Sudan People's Movement/Army (SSPDF) with the Ngok Dinka community in Abyei, causing heavy casualties and exacerbating the ethnic conflict.

In particular, since April 2023, fighting between the Sudanese Army (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has broken out, spreading to border areas, including Abyei, causing tens of thousands of refugees and repatriates from Sudan to cross Abyei into South Sudan, putting great pressure on humanitarian, security and social resources.

As a result, tens of thousands of people lost their homes, had to relocate, and relied on the support of relatives or humanitarian organizations. Many cases of kidnapping women and children, looting, destruction of property, burning of houses and community facilities occurred. There was a shortage of food, clean water, and medical services due to the conflict and the sudden increase in the number of refugees. Along with that, there was ethnic hatred, hate speech on social networks, and the risk of new outbreaks of violence.

Sitting and watching the rain fall, we remembered the meeting to disseminate the Party Committee's resolution in September 2024. That day, Lieutenant Colonel Le Hong Giang outlined very clearly some of the difficulties the unit was facing as well as the strengths that the Team had.

In addition to being vigilant, ready to fight, and dealing with conflict situations while carrying out missions, the entire team must face harsh climates and unfavorable weather. The dry season and prolonged heat in Abyei, temperatures often fluctuate around 38-45 degrees Celsius, while the rainy season is flooded and muddy. Abyei always harbors many dangerous diseases: malaria, fruit flies, acute diarrhea and skin diseases. This seriously affects the health of the soldiers, causing many difficulties in implementing the construction project.

In addition, the lack of fresh food is also a major challenge affecting the diet and eating habits of the staff in the Team. In fact, the Mission only provides frozen meat (beef, chicken, tilapia, shrimp, and vegetables such as cabbage, potatoes, onions, and carrots). This affects the nutritional intake, causing difficulties in processing and ensuring the long-term health of the staff.

Vietnam's 3rd Engineer Team trains to protect the barracks. Photo: QUOC KHANH

But the difficulties are not over yet. After nearly 3 years of exploitation and use, the technical condition of the equipment and motorbikes gradually deteriorated.

The climate in the Abyei region is hot and humid, with dense sand and dust all year round, causing wear on human skin, not to mention machinery. Due to the high intensity of operation and the frequency of continuous movement, many construction equipment and vehicles quickly revealed technical problems. In addition, the work of ensuring materials and spare parts was not timely, so it could not meet the repair requirements. In addition, the unit did not have a roofed house or a specialized repair workshop, all maintenance and troubleshooting activities had to be carried out outdoors, greatly affecting the quality and progress of repairs...

In fact, the peacekeeping mission in the Abyei region that we undertake is a long-term battle against heat, rain, mud and many other difficulties. This requires focused and decisive leadership with correct policies and measures from the Party Committee and the spirit of outstanding efforts from cadres, party members and employees.

But to do these jobs under conditions of logistical and technical guarantees different from those in the country, we must make great efforts. We must always uphold our spirit and determination to overcome our own psychology and inertia, and persistently overcome physical fatigue, wear and tear, and mental degradation.

In that meeting, we agreed and thoroughly understood the policies, targets, and leadership measures set by the Party Committee and the Command Board. First of all, we thoroughly understood the viewpoint of "Inheriting and promoting", filtering out good models and effective methods of previous engineering teams, while constantly supplementing and adjusting them to better suit the new situation. Next, the Party Committee proposed the policy of "Self-reliance - self-strengthening - self-care" in all work.

We unanimously grasped and implemented the policy of “Self-reliance-self-strengthening-self-care” initiated by the Party Committee. From that policy, we mobilized the strength of collective solidarity, mobilized the creativity of individuals, and excellently performed the tasks assigned by the Mission.

(continued)

VIET HUONG - TO CUONG

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Source: https://baodaknong.vn/ban-linh-dang-vien-o-abyei-bai-1-dang-uy-di-truoc-mo-loi-256484.html