11 April 2011 - UNAMID peacekeepers from the Mission’s Thai battalion stationed in Mukjar, West Darfur, have begun drilling a well for a nearby elementary school. Once complete, the borehole has the capacity to provide thousands of liters of potable water each day for the community.

The initiative is the latest in a series of community projects completed by the Thai peacekeepers. Since their arrival in December 2010, they have rebuilt a bridge on a key route between Mukjar and the town of Garsilla. They have also begun introducing irrigation and farming techniques native to their homeland with local farmers.

A Thai engineer testing the drilling machine in Mukjar. Photo: Albert Gonzalez Farran

Communication and Public Information Division Media Contacts
Kemal Saïki, Director; saiki@un.org; tel.: +249 (0) 92 244 3529; mobile: +249 (0) 92 241 0020

Chris Cycmanick, Officer-in-Charge, Media Relations, cycmanick@un.org, mobile: +249 (0)91 253 8436

Mayada Umbadda, Media Relations, umbadda@un.org, mobile: +249 (0)91 250 1966