SOUTH SUDAN / JAPANESE TROOPS

One hundred and twenty Japanese UNMISS engineering peacekeepers arrived at the Juba International Airport Monday to support infrastructural development in the Republic of South Sudan. UNMISS

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:57
• Production Date: 21 February 2012
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN – UNMISS
• Subject Topical: PEACE AND SECURITY; DEVELOPMENT
• Geographic Subject: SOUTH SUDAN
• MAMS Id: U120221e

Description

STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / JAPANESE TROOPS
TRT: 1.57
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS

DATELINE: 20 FEBRUARY 2012, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, plane carrying Japanese troops taxing at the airport
2. Med shot, Japanese nationals waiting for soldiers
3. Med shot, cameraman
4. Wide shot, plane taxing
5. Med shot, cameramen
6. Med shot, troops descending from aircraft
7. Med shot, troops shaking hands with delegation and government officials
8. Med shot, troops laving craft
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Japanese Colonel Toru Namatame, Japan:
“Today 120 new fresh personnel arrived. So in total about 200 personnel are now deployed in Juba – another 30 will arrive here in March. This is our first stage – we are proud to finish our first stage of deployment by the end of March.”
9. Various shots, troops descending from plane
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Benjamin Marial, Minister for Information and Government Spokesperson, South Sudan:
“On behalf of our government and our people, we warmly welcome this contingent, which will assist a lot in our road infrastructure, and I hope the people of the Republic of South Sudan will always welcome them. So we assure the Japanese Government and the Japanese people that their sons and daughters are very much welcome in South Sudan.”
11. Various shots, troops walking on tarmac
12. Med shot, troops getting into buses

Storyline

To support infrastructural development in the Republic of South Sudan, 120 Japanese UNMISS engineering peacekeepers arrived at the Juba International Airport yesterday (20 Feb).

The 120 engineers are the second group of the 330 Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force (GSDF) engineers expected to join UN peacekeeping operation in South Sudan. The first logistics advance team of 34 arrived on 15 January.

SOUNDBITE (English) Japanese Colonel Toru Namatame, Japan:
“Today 120 new fresh personnel arrived. So in total about 200 personnel are now deployed in Juba – another 30 will arrive here in March. This is our first stage – we are proud to finish our first stage of deployment by the end of March.”

Welcoming the troops were Japanese Ambassador to South Sudan Akinori Wada, Government spokesperson, Benjamin Marial, South Sudanese Minister for Roads and Bridges Gen. Gier Chuang Aluong and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Deputy Secretary General Anna Itto.

SOUNDBITE (English) Benjamin Marial, Minister for Information and Government Spokesperson, South Sudan:
“On behalf of our government and our people, we warmly welcome this contingent, which will assist a lot in our road infrastructure, and I hope the people of the Republic of South Sudan will always welcome them. So we assure the Japanese Government and the Japanese people that their sons and daughters are very much welcome in South Sudan.”

The capital Juba has approximately 70 kilometres of tarmacked roads.

The troops specialise in horizontal engineering and their main role will be road and bridge construction. Road roller, excavators, bulldozers and water tankers have recently arrived in Juba and more equipment is expected.

This team makes the ninth Japanese GSDF participation in UN peacekeeping operations.