Keeping the peace: Upgrading defence in South Sudan — Part 2
After a successful 48 days deployed in the remote town of Leer upgrading the Temporary Operating Base (TOB), the UK taskforce in South Sudan have returned to their base camp in Bentiu.
Within their 48 days in Leer, the troops worked alongside Ghanaian forces in constructing over 300m of Hesco walls — a strong military fortification constructed of mesh wire and heavy-duty fabric liner — which will aid flood control and protect local populations.
They also extended the base camp by 50m, added enough accommodation for the Ghanaian forces, 2 new washing facilities and 5 fortified observation posts protecting the perimeter of the base.
The limitations of tented accommodation and initially poor drainage made the rainy season particularly challenging during the deployment in Leer. Despite the camp only flooding once, the effect of the ground made construction particularly tough. Although a complete solution was unattainable without uprooting the camp, the taskforce undertook rapid drainage works to ensure a better outcome the next time it rained.
Having completed the HESCO walls within a few weeks, the remainder of their time in Leer was spent constructing new accommodation blocks. The prefabricated blocks had never previously been used by the taskforce engineering group, but with the import of expertise from Lance Corporal McLachlan in the nearby town of Malakal, the team managed to complete the build in just 11 days.
Although this was longer than expected, this time allowed the team to successfully overcome previous construction issues, implement an efficient system of works and create strong relationships with the Ghanaian forces.
Lieutenant Adeney reports the rewarding nature of the cooperative relationship between the UK taskforce and the Ghanaian Company in Leer, even taking part in a singing contest and regular church visits together, which went down particularly well with the taskforce Padre, Reverend Hall.
“We were able to combine much of our knowledge when it came to safe systems of works and best practice, with their experiences of working in more austere environments with limited resources.” — Lt Adeney.
Overall, the UK taskforce in South Sudan have gained a huge amount of experience from their deployment in Leer. It has also given a number of members the opportunity to come out of their shells and showcase their skills within a diverse team with personnel from across all the cap badges.
Lt Adeney concludes:
“We have successfully improved the living standards for those deployed to Leer’s temporary operating base (TOB) as well as the defences and have left the Ghanaians with the skills and tools required to complete further improvements.”
Click here to find out where else the UK Armed Forces are deployed.
