The construction of the over 110km Sopo-Wau Road in South Sudan has reportedly been completed. This comes approximately three months since the allocation of the construction tender in March. The contract was reportedly awarded to the 13th Chinese Peacekeeping Horizontal Engineering Company to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
To complete the project, the company has overcome multiple hitches like high temperatures, recurrent illnesses, and supply difficulties. However, they finished the construction of more than 110 kilometres of the main supply route and rehabilitated two important bridges.
In addition to the road and bridges, the peacekeepers have finalized over 30 engineering tasks since being deployed to the mission area in December 2022. Thus contributing to the development of South Sudan with China’s strength and receiving widespread praise from the local people.
Significance of the Sopo-Wau Road in South Sudan
Stretching from Western Bahr el Ghazal State to the capital of the state, Sopo-Wau Road is the main road in Western Bahr El Ghazal of South Sudan. Therefore, the normal transportation and daily life of local residents are highly dependent on this route.
Also Read: UNMISS repair 2500kms of roads in South Sudan
The damage to the road in addition to bridges along the route triggered inconveniences to the local community. Additionally, the poor state of the road interfered with the provision of humanitarian assistance and thwarted emergency medical treatment. The infrastructure had been damaged mostly by floods.
The newly refurbished Sopo-Wau Road will boost trade and enable communities to have better access to education and healthcare. Additionally, the route will enable the UN peacekeeping mission to swiftly address potential conflict.
The primary focus of peacekeepers is to safeguard civilians at imminent risk of being harmed during the conflict.
