35 years of ensuring global stability via sincerity and strength

Chinese peacekeeper Yang Huanhuan will never forget the note she left for a mother in the Democratic Republic of Congo written in Swahili: "Florence, don't cry, be strong! We stand with you!

- JIANG CHENGLONG and ZHAO MANFENG

Yang served as a military observer in the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DR Congo from 2018 to 2019. She was also among the first female military observers sent by China.

During her frequent patrols, she met Florence, a single mother of three, whose house had been destroyed in a fire. Florence’s plight deeply saddened Yang, so she gave her $50 along with the note, placed in an envelope. She also gave the mother clothes and shoes, in the hope of cheering her up.

To Yang's relief, Florence, who had no mobile phone and couldn't speak English, managed to send a message through someone, saying that she had rebuilt her home to start a new life and would never forget the help of the Chinese military observer. The story was featured in an article published on the UN's peacekeeping website.

Like Yang, Wu Feng, 42, an instructor at the Shijiazhuang campus of the Army Engineering University of the People’s Liberation Army, also had unforgettable experiences as a military observer with a UN Mission in South Sudan from 2019 to 2020.

"As a peacekeeper, the work is full of challenges," he said, noting that UN missions set high standards for military observers. "The main duties of military observers include observation, investigation, verification, liaison and reporting, and they also assist NGOs in humanitarian aid," he said.

During missions, observers must strictly adhere to impartiality, carry no weapons and operate independently, not as part of any peacekeeping unit, he added.