Bangladeshi peacekeepers renovate S Sudan football fields

Bangladesh's engineering contingent in South Sudan has been tasked with renovation of football fields to be used for a variety of National Unity Day activities.

The Bangladeshi peacekeepers are contributing to youthful festivities, under the umbrella of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The mission said it is supporting this year’s annual National Unity Day by renovating four football fields in Juba.

"Hundreds of youths from across the country will get together for sports and other activities to promote inter-ethnic interaction and a spirit of fair play and peace.," the mission said in a news release.

The opening ceremony of the event will be held at the Juba Football Stadium on 27 January and it will end on 4 February.

According to the news release, work has already begun on the pitch in Juba-One, with the fields of Buluk, Zahra and St. Paul’s to follow.

Officer-in-charge of some of the engineering work, Lieutenant Masud, says the tasks of the contingent will include the grading and levelling of the football grounds, as well as digging drains along their perimeters.

Lemor William Joseph, assistant director for youth, training and innovation, a component of the culture, youth and sports ministry of that country, appreciated the efforts of the UN peacekeeping mission.

“Actually it is a very great work that UNMISS is doing for us, because really to renovate these fields would have been very expensive,” he said.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, will finance the logistics of bringing the participating youths to the National Unity Day.

During the 2017 edition of the National Unity Day, approximately 500 boys and girls from twelve towns from across South Sudan and Abyei participated in football and athletics competitions.

This year youths from all of the states of the country are expected to take part.