China condemns S. Sudan attack

Two soldiers on peacekeeping duty were killed and five others injured as armored vehicle hit

China has strongly condemned the attack in South Sudan's capital, Juba, on July 10 that killed two Chinese peacekeepers and wounded five others.

An armored vehicle of the Chinese peacekeeping troops was hit by stray artillery fire in the camp of the headquarters of the United Nations mission in South Sudan at 6:40 pm local time, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on July 11.

Two Chinese soldiers who died were identified as Li Lei and Yang Shupeng, China Central Television reported.

This is the second deadly incident recently involving Chinese peacekeepers. On May 31, a terror attack in Mali killed a Chinese peacekeeper and injured four others.

China is "deeply shocked" by and "strongly condemns" the attack in South Sudan, Lu said.

The Chinese embassy was doing its best to coordinate the rescue of injured peacekeepers, and China has asked the South Sudan government to thoroughly investigate the incident and severely punish those responsible, said Lu.

He said the Foreign Ministry had an emergency meeting with South Sudan's ambassador to China, and the Chinese embassy met with officials of the South Sudan government.

They asked the government to take measures to protect the security and property of Chinese citizens in the country, Lu said.

Armed conflicts between the South Sudan president's forces and its vice-president's forces have resumed in Juba.

The fighting erupted on July 7 and broke out again on July 8, Reuters reported.

"China is deeply concerned that large-scale armed conflicts have broken out in Juba and that South Sudan's peace process is facing setbacks," Lu said. He added that China is calling for the rival factions to immediately cease fire, stop the violence and take effective measures to implement the peace deal.

China will consider measures, including evacuation operations, to protect Chinese citizens who are in South Sudan, he said.

The Foreign Ministry has asked the Chinese embassy in South Sudan to initiate an emergency response, and it has helped Chinese people and companies in South Sudan enhance their security, Lu added.

The ministry also has issued an alert for Chinese not to go to South Sudan, and said those already there should avoid regions with conflicts.

He Wenping, a researcher at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says: "The deeper China takes part in the UN peacekeeping, the larger security risks there will be for Chinese peacekeeping troops."

She adds that the international community, including African countries, has been calling for China to get more involved in peacekeeping in Africa.

A ceasefire appears to be holding in Juba since July 12, after four days of heavy fighting between rival forces left more than 270 people dead.

wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 07/15/2016 page15)