Cargo Support: Canadian Military Aircraft Assists UN Peacekeepers in South Sudan

By Carolina Lessa C. de Souza, Communications Officer, RSCE

On 17 August 2023, a Canadian military aircraft landed in Entebbe, Uganda, kicking off a two-week operation in support of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). A total of 68,000 kg of cargo was transported from Entebbe to Juba, Wau, Malakal, and Bentiu, where 20,000 UN peacekeepers work towards peace. Vehicles, medical supplies, and UN uniforms and helmets were among the cargo transported by the C130 Hercules aircraft.

The flight services were coordinated by the Forward Support and Deployment Hub (FSDH), based at the Regional Service Centre Entebbe, and operated by 20 Canadian military personnel commanded by Major Samantha Behm, Detachment Commander of the Royal Canadian Airforce.

“For most of my team, this was their first deployment into the African region, a unique opportunity for us as aviators to support peacekeeping operations. We are thankful for contributing to the stabilization efforts UNMISS is leading in South Sudan”, said Major Behm.

“We were able to move large amounts of cargo, otherwise difficult and expensive to move, during seasons where road access is limited due to flooding”, added Major Behm who is currently the only female pilot in charge of the Royal Canadian Airforce C130.

The C130 Hercules has been used in military and humanitarian missions since the 1950s to transport troops and equipment to remote locations. With a maximum cargo capacity of 19,000 kg and 30 meters in length, the C130 is known for its ability to operate in remote areas without road connectivity, such as South Sudanese cities.

For Sanjay Khanna, Chief of Logistics at FSDH, the partnership with the Canadian government has been crucial to supporting the mandate delivery of UN missions.

“In field missions, there is a lot of cargo that accumulates and can’t be transported to other locations since they aren’t accessible by road.

This is when mission representatives came to FSDH with their demands. UNMISS had many vehicles and equipment that needed to be transported from Juba to other remote locations,” said Sanjay.

The UN-Canadian partnership

In 2019, Canada agreed to provide air transportation services in support of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The formal agreement was signed between the Canadian Government and the United Nations in the form of a Letter of Assist 2019-103.

The first port of call in 2023 was to facilitate cargo movements for UNMISS. Currently, the Canadian C-130 operates on a monthly rotational cycle between Entebbe and other assignments in East Africa.