'Welcome dinner'

One time, Luo recalled, some Chinese embassy officials paid a visit to the contingent. Luo and his team members prepared a "welcome dinner" at their dormitory, using just simple food made by themselves due to the limited time and for safety reasons.

"No matter how difficult the work and living conditions are, we'll finish our mission here brilliantly, because we represent China," Luo said emphatically.

Sun Peng, another Chinese police officer, works on the risk and threat assessment team, which is responsible for getting firsthand information on all security incidents that occur at the civilian protection camps.

Being a threat assessment officer "is less attractive than other UN police posts, because you always face challenges and work in unsafe environments", Sun said.

On Sept 1, informal leaders of the camp informed threat assessment officers that an unidentified armed man had been detained while trying to enter the camp, but the suspect's pistol was lost during a chase and ensuing fight.

"Upon hearing this, I put on my (personal protection equipment) in a hurry and got prepared to go inside the camp without a second thought," Sun said. "The only thought in my mind was that we have to retrieve the pistol before it's too late."

After a meticulous overnight investigation, Sun and his colleagues managed to retrieve the pistol and the bullets the next morning.

"Any small incident, if not handled properly, could lead to conflicts and bloodshed," Sun said.

Once during a routine inspection, Sun and an Ethiopian colleague were told that some children among the internally displaced people had stolen three chickens from a local village near the civilian protection camp. This could have led to conflict between villagers and the camp's residents.

Due to years of civil war, there was no formal contact between the local authorities and the informal leaders of the camp.

However, Sun managed to liaise with the local authorities and persuaded thieves in the camp to return the chickens to the owner via the local authorities.

"The three-chicken story is the epitome of national reconciliation in South Sudan, which brought different parties to shake hands and sit together again," Sun added.

The author is a member of the Chinese peacekeeping police based in South Sudan.