{"id":5460,"date":"2025-07-03T14:55:24","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T12:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/?p=5460"},"modified":"2025-07-03T14:55:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T12:55:28","slug":"peace_begins_with_connection-mongolian-peacekeepers-strengthen-security-and-support-in-bentiu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/?p=5460","title":{"rendered":"#Peace_Begins_With_Connection: Mongolian Peacekeepers Strengthen Security and Support in Bentiu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bentiu \u2013 Al-Wadi Newspaper<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A patrol team from the Mongolian contingent serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was warmly welcomed with cheers by students at a school inside a displacement camp near the Mission\u2019s field office in Bentiu, Unity State \u2014 a scene that highlights the deep bond between peacekeepers and local communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The visit came as part of the Mongolian unit\u2019s ongoing efforts, which go beyond maintaining security, to focus on building trust and fostering meaningful connections with civilians \u2014 a testament to the belief that true peace begins with proximity and engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Education with Determination Amid Challenges<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The school visited by the peacekeepers has long suffered from a lack of government funding. As a result, around 60 teachers<\/strong> volunteer their time and skills to ensure children continue to receive an education, despite the difficulties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe urgently need government support,\u201d said Head Teacher Michael Tergiek<\/strong>. \u201cWe receive no salaries, and sometimes we have to collect small fees from parents just to keep the school running. But the children\u2019s desire to learn is what keeps us going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Relationship Spanning Over a Decade<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The site, once a UN Protection of Civilians area, was officially transformed into a government-administered displacement camp years ago. However, the presence of peacekeepers \u2014 especially the Mongolian contingent<\/strong>, which has been in the area since 2012 \u2014 has remained a strong source of security and humanitarian support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This long-standing connection is reflected in the many children, youth, and even adults who speak Mongolian fluently<\/strong>, having grown up around the peacekeepers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been here since 2012,\u201d said Deputy Commander Altantulga Jargalan<\/strong>. \u201cThese children were little back then, and now they\u2019ve grown up. Some speak Mongolian fluently and understand us completely. It\u2019s something we\u2019re very proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Empowering Women and Combating Violence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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As part of their broader community engagement, the Mongolian unit has also increased the number of female peacekeepers within their ranks. The goal is to enhance communication with women and girls<\/strong>, and raise awareness about gender-based violence<\/strong>, including through educational sessions in schools and local gathering spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hope<\/strong>, a 17-year-old student who returned from Uganda to live with her mother in Bentiu, expressed her appreciation for the peacekeepers:
\u201cTheir presence makes us feel safe and gives us the motivation to continue our education. They don\u2019t just protect us \u2014 they truly care about us.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hope aspires to become a public speaker one day. Her dream is to empower others \u2014 especially women and girls \u2014 to believe in themselves and their ability to overcome adversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Peace Begins with All of Us<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The experience of the Mongolian peacekeepers in Bentiu proves that peace is not only maintained through patrols and weapons but also through compassion, connection, and trust-building<\/strong> with the communities they serve.
\u201cPeace begins with me, with you, with all of us.\u201d<\/strong>As Hope wisely puts it<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bentiu \u2013 Al-Wadi Newspaper A patrol team from the Mongolian contingent serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was warmly welcomed with cheers by students at a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5460"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5470,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5460\/revisions\/5470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}