Chinese peacekeepers killed in Mali repatriated back home

World Today

Chinese peacekeepers killed in Mali repatriated back home

The body of a Chinese UN peacekeeper who died in a terrorist attack in Mali has been repatriated.

CCTV’s Guan Yang was at Changchun Longjia International airport and has this story.

Touching down on the same runway where his plane left three weeks ago, fallen UN peacekeeper Shen Liangliang returns to his motherland.

As a member of the fourth batch of Chinese UN peacekeepers stationed in Mali, Shen could never have imagined that his posting to one of the world’s deadliest countries for UN peacekeeping missions would last just 11 days.

Born in 1987, Shen joined the Chinese liberation army at the age of 18. During his 11 years’ military service, he was at the front-line of many flood control missions and received the title of excellent solider. He told his parents that he and his girlfriend planned to get married after he returned from the Mali peackeeping mission. Today that’s a wish that will never be fulfilled.

A number of high ranking officers from the People’s Liberation Army as well as Shen’s fellow soldiers gathered at the airport to express their condolences. After the ceremony his body will be transferred to Henan Province where he was born and buried in the Martyrs’ Cemetery there.

His death however will not be in vain: a team from the Chinese military is investigating the attack, coordinating the aftermath, and guiding the peacekeeping force to strengthen security. China will continue supporting UN peacekeeping missions, and fight against all kinds of terrorism to safeguard world peace.