Present at the ceremony were officials of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and Commanders of units stationed in Abyei. UNISFA officials inspected, evaluated, and approved the Smart Camp project at the Highway base of the Vietnamese engineering contingent.

Addressing the function, Colonel Nguyen Viet Hung, Commander of the Vietnamese peacekeeping force at the UNISFA, and Captain of the Vietnam Military Construction Engineering Contingent, expressed his joy for having completed the project.

The Smart Camp project at the Highway base is the first of its kind undertaken by the Vietnam Military Construction Engineering Contingent, and the success of the project helps to create conditions for UN officials and staff to accomplish the mission of preserving peace, stability and development in Abyei, he stressed.

According to the Colonel, the inauguration of the Smart Camp at the Highway base is of great significance to Vietnam as it coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory over French colonialism (May 5, 1954 - 2024).

The success of the project demonstrates Vietnam’s political commitment to the international community toward the common goal of implementing the tasks of humanitarian assistance, construction, stability and development globally, he said.

Robert Kirkwood, Chief of Mission Support, thanked Vietnamese engineers for completing the project, noting this is the first successful project with the Smart Camp model and is also the only Smart Camp project of the entire system of UN Missions.

The Smart Camp project at Highway broke ground on March 28, 2023 and was divided into three phases with a total of 30 house modules, comprising offices, residences, a canteen, a kitchen, a physical room, a toilet system and other utility and auxiliary works such as a water treatment system, a solid waste treatment system, a repairs station, a solar power station, a lighting system, and a CCTV system.

The Vietnam military Construction Engineering Contingent is now working on building smart camps for units stationed in the Abyei area.

VOV