我在南蘇丹維和

文/許明珠

疫情下路途艱難，不忘初心獨(dú)自赴任

2021年8月，告別親人，我獨(dú)自背著行囊踏上赴南蘇丹的維和之路，開始了新冠疫情下為世界和平的“逆行”。一路防護(hù)服、口罩，不敢有一絲松懈，心懷忐忑，幾經(jīng)周轉(zhuǎn)，歷經(jīng)近20小時(shí)，來到了南蘇丹，一個(gè)飽受戰(zhàn)亂之苦的非洲國家，被聯(lián)合國評估為世界上最艱苦的維和任務(wù)區(qū)之一。剛下飛機(jī)，一陣熱浪撲面而來，身上的防護(hù)服瞬間變成了蒸籠，南蘇丹以最熱情的高溫歡迎著我。經(jīng)過隔離、核酸檢測后，在TOMPING（湯平）培訓(xùn)基地進(jìn)行了駕駛測試和入職前培訓(xùn)，我被部署在朱巴戰(zhàn)區(qū)辦公室，開始了全天候的輪崗巡邏工作。

朱巴戰(zhàn)區(qū)下設(shè)人事、后勤、巡邏、評估和社區(qū)警務(wù)等部門，新入職維和警察都要進(jìn)入巡邏組或做巡邏相關(guān)的工作，我被分配在巡邏1組（Field Office Alpha），因?yàn)檠策壗M的同事還沒有拿到駕照，第一天上班我就在緩沖區(qū)和朱巴市內(nèi)開車巡邏七個(gè)小時(shí)。緩沖區(qū)道路坑洼不平，路面泥濘不堪，一起巡邏的塞內(nèi)加爾老大哥對我的駕駛能力感到驚訝和佩服，瘦弱的身軀居然能夠駕駛這么大的越野車，并可以在狹窄崎嶇的道路中穿梭自如，而后面的FPU（維和警察防暴隊(duì)）車隊(duì)卻時(shí)常陷在沼澤中。

每次巡邏途中，都會(huì)有很多流民營的孩子站在路邊微笑著向我們揮手，從他們的眼里，我看到了認(rèn)同，看到了友好，更看到了希望。有一次，我隨社區(qū)警務(wù)組進(jìn)入流民營進(jìn)行性別意識的宣講，一下車，流民營的孩子們便圍住了我。他們一眼認(rèn)出了我衣服上的中國國旗，于是拉著我的手，用很清晰的漢語對我說“你好嗎”，又指著衣服上的國旗標(biāo)說“中國”。旁邊幾個(gè)國外的同事投來羨慕的目光，說：“流民營里的孩子們都認(rèn)識中國國旗，很多都會(huì)說上幾句漢語。”在那一刻，我倍感榮耀，深知這是一批又一批中國維和人的影響力，他們不但圓滿完成了使命，更留給南蘇丹人民美好的回憶。

履職任務(wù)區(qū)總部行動(dòng)中心，開啟戰(zhàn)備狀態(tài)

在南蘇丹任務(wù)區(qū)執(zhí)行維和任務(wù)

在執(zhí)行流民營定點(diǎn)巡邏

在行動(dòng)中心值夜班

擔(dān)任行動(dòng)中心臨時(shí)負(fù)責(zé)人時(shí)主持日常會(huì)議

在戰(zhàn)區(qū)工作期間，我申請了任務(wù)區(qū)總部行動(dòng)中心報(bào)告官職位，憑借面試中的出色表現(xiàn)，成功任職總部行動(dòng)中心。任務(wù)區(qū)總部工作相對戰(zhàn)區(qū)繁忙很多，行動(dòng)部門更是總部中任務(wù)最重、最累的部門，經(jīng)常是全天候的工作強(qiáng)度，隔兩三天就有一個(gè)13小時(shí)的夜班。在面試前，很多國內(nèi)外同事都建議我慎選行動(dòng)部門的工作，但由于自身缺少基層警務(wù)工作經(jīng)歷，我毅然決然地選擇了這個(gè)崗位。不怕苦不怕累是中國警察的良好品質(zhì)，憑借著這種工作態(tài)度，發(fā)揮語言優(yōu)勢，入職一個(gè)星期，我就完全掌握了工作要領(lǐng)，得到了行動(dòng)部領(lǐng)導(dǎo)和同事的一致好評。作為行動(dòng)中心報(bào)告官，我的主要工作是收集、匯總來自南蘇丹十個(gè)州的每日案情和維和警察行動(dòng)報(bào)告，為聯(lián)合國警察司、任務(wù)區(qū)警察總監(jiān)、副總監(jiān)提供任務(wù)區(qū)各類案情匯報(bào)分析，并與聯(lián)合行動(dòng)中心（JOC）、綜合行動(dòng)中心（IOC）協(xié)同處理安全形勢報(bào)告以及要案、個(gè)案。每日情況報(bào)告需要在午夜發(fā)給紐約總部，因此夜班也是最難熬的時(shí)刻，連續(xù)工作七八個(gè)小時(shí)后要將工作匯總報(bào)告整理歸檔，同時(shí)要在五分鐘內(nèi)處理郵件中有關(guān)要案的內(nèi)容，工作強(qiáng)度和緊張程度不言而喻。無數(shù)個(gè)夜晚，電腦前面的我都在眉頭緊鎖地盯著一宗宗犯罪案件。除了馬拉卡，其他各州已經(jīng)將流民營移交給當(dāng)?shù)卣?，維和警察工作重心已經(jīng)轉(zhuǎn)移到協(xié)同巡邏，提高見警率，增進(jìn)當(dāng)?shù)孛癖姷恼J(rèn)同感和安全感，提升滿意度；提供技術(shù)指導(dǎo)，加強(qiáng)當(dāng)?shù)貓?zhí)法人員的能力建設(shè)等。除此之外，對各類犯罪案件的分析和情報(bào)搜集，為維和行動(dòng)的計(jì)劃和部署提供了重要的指導(dǎo)和方向。于是，工作之余，我利用個(gè)人休息時(shí)間認(rèn)真研究各個(gè)州頻發(fā)的犯罪案件，走訪調(diào)查相關(guān)部門，這也為下一次崗位競聘打下了堅(jiān)實(shí)的基礎(chǔ)。

一分耕耘，一分收獲

在朱巴市區(qū)巡邏

春節(jié)是千千萬萬中國人闔家團(tuán)圓、慶賀新年的日子。而遠(yuǎn)在異國他鄉(xiāng)的中國維和警察們?nèi)匀灰獔?jiān)守崗位。過年期間也是我最忙碌的一段日子，原行動(dòng)中心負(fù)責(zé)人提任南蘇丹任務(wù)區(qū)總部人力資源管理部門處長，我接替他擔(dān)任行動(dòng)中心臨時(shí)負(fù)責(zé)人，而當(dāng)時(shí)處里人手不夠，新來的兩名同事還在入職培訓(xùn)，因此我需要同時(shí)身兼數(shù)職，幾乎平均每天工作時(shí)間都要超過14小時(shí)。一月份是南蘇丹的旱季，我經(jīng)歷著酷熱和高強(qiáng)度工作的雙重考驗(yàn)，面對著全新的工作內(nèi)容，我對自己說，一定要有信心，不懂就問；一定要細(xì)心，這么多數(shù)據(jù)絕不能有半點(diǎn)馬虎。就這樣，在兩個(gè)星期內(nèi)，我完成了對新人的入職培訓(xùn)，指導(dǎo)他們獨(dú)立上崗；完成了聯(lián)南蘇團(tuán)行動(dòng)部門半年總結(jié)的收尾工作；為秘書長年度報(bào)告提供維和警察行動(dòng)數(shù)據(jù)，及犯罪案件數(shù)據(jù)分析，完成行動(dòng)部四名同志的延期審核工作等。除夕前后，我申請了任務(wù)區(qū)總部警察部門三個(gè)管理層崗位，全部進(jìn)入短名單，最終成功競聘任務(wù)區(qū)總部犯罪分析與情報(bào)處負(fù)責(zé)人。警察部門副總監(jiān)在一次管理層會(huì)議上對我提出了表揚(yáng)，他說：“很高興看到你有勇氣參與三個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)崗位的競聘，事實(shí)證明，三個(gè)崗位你都是合格的，祝賀你當(dāng)選?！?/p>

女子本弱，為母則強(qiáng)

來任務(wù)區(qū)已半年有余。臨行前，將八歲的兒子托付給年近七旬的父母照顧，心中未免充滿了自責(zé)和愧疚。父親多年疾病纏身，母親腰肌勞損，嚴(yán)重時(shí)經(jīng)常臥床不起，八歲的兒子又生性好動(dòng)，老兩口這半年顯得更加蒼老。父母不忍心我在任務(wù)區(qū)還操心家里的事，總是報(bào)喜不報(bào)憂。有時(shí)孩子學(xué)校要求上傳一個(gè)文檔，老兩口都要發(fā)愁許久。南蘇丹與國內(nèi)時(shí)差六個(gè)小時(shí)，忙完一天的工作，國內(nèi)已經(jīng)是午夜，想看上家人一眼已經(jīng)是奢望。點(diǎn)開手機(jī)，看著孩子給我發(fā)來的留言，瞬間淚如泉涌：“媽媽，我好想你，你快回來吧！”“媽媽，你一定要小心，再別被蟲子咬得滿腿都是傷了?！薄皨寢專也还帜悴慌阄?，你是做更有意義的事去了。你回來一定會(huì)陪我的?！焙⒆樱瑡寢尭兄x你的關(guān)心和理解，在媽媽工作的地方也有一些跟你一樣大的孩子，他們渴望著擁有和你一樣上學(xué)的機(jī)會(huì)，渴望著擁有美好的未來，而媽媽的任務(wù)就是要保護(hù)他們，和同事們一起，努力為他們創(chuàng)造穩(wěn)定安全的環(huán)境，幫助他們的國家提高建設(shè)的能力。希望未來，這里的孩子們也可以像你一樣，都有書讀、有學(xué)上。

On Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan

By Xu Mingzhu

In August 2021, I bade farewell to my family and embarked on a peacekeeping mission in the Republic of South Sudan against the COVID-19 pandemic. Constantly vigilant and tightly wrapped in protective suits and masks, we took one flight after another. After a 20-hour flight, I landed in South Sudan, a war-ridden African country rated among the most dangerous places for peacekeeping troops. Upon disembarking I was greeted by a heat wave, turning my protective suit into a sauna room, a very "warm" welcome. After quarantine, nucleic acid tests, driving tests and Induction training at the Tomping UN Base, I was assigned to the Juba Field Office to perform all-weather patrols on rotation.

The Field Office consists of a personnel team, logistics team, patrolling team, assessment team and community policing team. Newcomers should first work in the patrolling team. I was dispatched to Alpha team. Since my partner did not have a driving permit, I had to carry out patrols for seven hours on the first day of duty. My patrol partner, an older man from Senegal, was overwhelmed that I, a small woman, could drive such a giant pickup on narrow, bumpy and muddy roads so smoothly; whereas the vehicle of the Formed Police Unit (FPU) behind us got trapped in swamps from time to time.

When we are on patrol, the children from the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps always wave at us by the road. Obvious in their look is recognition, friendliness and hope. I participated in a training workshop with the community policing team to raise gender awareness in an IDP camp. Just as I got off the car, the children surrounded me. Recognizing the Chinese national flag on my uniform, they took my hands and said clearly in Chinese: "Ni hao ma (How are you)?" Then they pointed at the Chinese national flag and said: "Zhong Guo (China)." My colleagues from other countries were envious: "Children here all know about the Chinese flag and many speak a bit of Chinese." This made me proud of the Chinese peacekeepers who have not only fulfilled their missions, but also made a mighty impact on the locals.

During my service, I applied for the position of Mission Headquarters (MHQ) Operation Center Reporting Officer. I made it thanks to my excellent performance at the interview. The MHQ is much busier than the Field Office, and the Operation Center is the busiest unit. The Center is in operation around the clock and we take 13-hour night duty shifts every two or three days. All my colleagues told me to give it a second thought before taking the interview. As I didn’t have much community experience, I insisted on this post. It is typical Chinese police to be hardworking and fearless. I leveraged my strength in language skills and got accustomed to the job in only one week, winning a good reputation from supervisors and teammates.

As a Reporting Officer, I was responsible for collecting case details and activity reports from the10 field offices on a daily basis, reporting my analysis of cases in different regions to United Nations Police (UNPOL), the Police Commissioner and the Deputy Police Commissioner of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Meanwhile, along with the Joint Operation Center (JOC) and the Integrated Operation Center (IOC) I was supposed to handle security reports as well as important cases. Working at night was very draining because we should send Daily Situation Report (DSR) to the New York Headquarters at midnight, collect and categorize the paperwork after working for seven or eight hours in a row and respond to emails about Flash Report within five minutes. Many a night found me lost in the bulk of case reports before the screen, with my eyebrows frowned.

Apart from Malakal, UNMISS had transitioned other former Protection of Civilians sites to traditional camps for internally displaced people, returning responsibility for their protection to the Government of South Sudan. Therefore, the priority of peacekeeping police has been shifted to Coordination patrols for a high visibility patrol, Confidence and trust building patrol, stronger sense of security and ultimately the approval of the public. Also we provided technical assistance and assist to help with Capacity building of law enforcement agencies Besides, our analysis of criminal cases and intelligence provided guideline for further UN peacekeeping operations. I carefully studied the high incidence cases in different states and visited relevant units in my spare time, paving the way for my next position.

During the Spring Festival holiday when all Chinese at home enjoy their family reunions, Chinese police peacekeepers on post. This Spring Festival was the busiest period for me because I was officer in charge of the Operation Center as my predecessor got promoted. We were short of hands and two freshmen were still at training. I had to work for over 14 hours every day 'in a variety of jobs.

January is the dry season in South Sudan. Faced with the dual tests of intense heat and intensive work pressure in unfamiliar settings, I told myself to stay confident, be careful with the data, and keep learning from people around. With these in mind, I completed the induction training for the freshmen, who were able to perform duties independently after two weeks; wrapped up the Bio-annual report of the UNMISS Operation Pillar; provided peacekeeping data, including operations and case analysis, for the UN Secretary-General’s annual report; and reviewed and permitted the Tour of Duty extension materials of four peacekeepers.

I applied for three senior positions at the MHQ Police Pillar on the eve of this Spring Festival, and was included in all the shortlists. Finally, I was selected as the chief of the MHQ Crime Analysis and Intelligence Unit. The UNMISS Deputy Police Commissioner praised me at a management meeting: "I'm glad to see you brave enough to compete for three positions. As a matter of fact, you are qualified for any of them. Congratulations."

Having been in service for over half a year, I blame myself for leaving my eight-year-old son to my parents, both in their late 60s. My father has been in poor physical health for years, and my mother suffers lumbar muscle strains and sometimes gets confined to bed, and all the while my son is very energetic. All these combined have made my parents weary and look much older these days. To spare me from any worries and cares, they refrain from sharing any bad news. More often than not, the simplest things for young people seem quite hard for them. For example, when my kid is asked to submit a document online, Dad and Mum will be overwhelmed with frustration. Due to a six-hour time difference between the two places, I can hardly see them when I finish work because it's already late at night in China.

Messages on the phone often brought me to tears: "Mom, I miss you so badly. Please come home!" "Mom, you should be careful and protect yourself from mosquito bites." "Mom, I don't blame you for not being with me. You are doing a great thing. I believe you will come back to me." Son, I'm happy to have your understanding and concern. In this place I’m serving, there are children your age who wish to have a chance to go to school and embrace a better future like you. My mission is to protect them, create a stable and safe environment for them, and help their country to grow stronger. I hope that the kids here will have access to as good an education as you do. ■