0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some strong language and scenes which some viewers may find upsetting
0:00:06 > 0:00:10The British Army in 2017 finds itself in uncharted territory.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15They've not been at war for three years.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17Now move!
0:00:20 > 0:00:24After controversial campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan,
0:00:24 > 0:00:26there's a political reluctance to put boots on the ground.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Don't bomb Syria!
0:00:30 > 0:00:34There's also widespread opposition to military intervention.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Don't bomb Syria!
0:00:36 > 0:00:40The Army's budgets are under increasing pressure.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45They could go and manoeuvre, without firing ammunition,
0:00:45 > 0:00:50it saves you two million of the 3.8 million that you hope to save.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52The British Army is smaller than it's been, probably,
0:00:52 > 0:00:54since Cromwell's day,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57and I would want to look myself very closely in the mirror if I felt that
0:00:57 > 0:01:00there was a risk of the Army being sent to do something that it wasn't
0:01:00 > 0:01:02properly prepared to do.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08But now, with the rise of the so-called Islamic State...
0:01:09 > 0:01:13..the threat of a new Cold War in Eastern Europe...
0:01:13 > 0:01:17- Wait!- In the field!
0:01:17 > 0:01:21..and famine and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa,
0:01:21 > 0:01:27the British Army have to play a new role in a deeply unstable world.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29How many patients do you usually see a day?
0:01:29 > 0:01:31700 to 800.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Filmed over 18 months,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39this series takes us into the heart of the British Army...
0:01:39 > 0:01:41How many Russians are across the border?
0:01:41 > 0:01:43- 100,000-odd?- Yeah, a lot.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46..through the eyes of the rank and file...
0:01:46 > 0:01:49No-one else has operated in the stadium before.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51This is completely different from Afghanistan.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53And Iraq.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55..and the leaders...
0:01:55 > 0:01:56General!
0:01:56 > 0:01:59- How are you?- Nice to see you.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03..we see the challenges of fighting wars when we're not at war.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Days of going out, finding groups such as Isis,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10for reasons above our pay grade,
0:02:10 > 0:02:11that doesn't happen any more.
0:02:11 > 0:02:18In this episode, the British Army is deployed to one of the most dangerous places in the world...
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Full barrelled long rocket system.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26..on a UN peacekeeping operation to protect thousands
0:02:26 > 0:02:28fleeing South Sudan's Civil War.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35It has been known for young Dinka soldiers to try and sneak in.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38The danger then is that the conflict would start in the POC camp.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Rape is frequently used as a weapon.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45The sense of right and wrong is skewed absolutely the wrong way.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48In a country where government troops can be lawless and corrupt...
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Here you go. We've been stopped now. This is SBA.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03..can the British Army help build peace, and stop genocide?
0:03:26 > 0:03:28In a matter of weeks,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32400 British soldiers will join a UN peacekeeping operation
0:03:32 > 0:03:34in South Sudan,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37a country torn apart by civil war.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Just along this wall here.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45Escaping war and famine, thousands of civilians in South Sudan
0:03:45 > 0:03:47have sought sanctuary at UN camps.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Today, 100 actors will test if the British soldiers
0:03:53 > 0:03:57will be ready to deal with civilians in need of protection.
0:03:57 > 0:03:58Who is in charge here?
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Let me talk to who is in charge.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03ALL TALK AT ONCE
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Come, brother. Come, brother.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10THEY SHOUT
0:04:10 > 0:04:16We want food! We want food! We want food! We want food!
0:04:16 > 0:04:21A lot of what we focus on is the worst-case scenario.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Prepping our guys so that if everything goes wrong,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26they can still react effectively.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35There was plenty that we didn't search, no-one came through carrying anything suspicious.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38We are now getting noise on them from this building there.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40I just want to identify the people inside.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41SHOUTING
0:04:47 > 0:04:51This is the type of training that makes sure that if we do have to
0:04:51 > 0:04:53protect civilians from an enemy force,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55we're confident that we can do so.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Just let them in.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Just let them in. Let's get them in. Come on.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04The really great thing about this exercise is that all of the actors
0:05:04 > 0:05:07playing the civilian population are actually from South Sudan,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10so they've been able to feed in a lot of information to us.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22One of the stories that was particularly pertinent,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26and really stuck with our guys, was one of a father and a son.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29They were approaching a checkpoint in South Sudan,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32and unfortunately they didn't have anything to give to the checkpoint,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35so no money, no cigarettes, no water or food.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37The checkpoint opened fire on them both,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39because they had nothing to give,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41and unfortunately, his father was killed.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44These people have grown up in conflict,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47and for us to go out and, you know,
0:05:47 > 0:05:52go some way to resolving that is a really great thing for us to do.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04South Sudan is the world's newest country.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09It gained independence from Sudan in 2011,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12but quickly descended into civil war
0:06:12 > 0:06:16as rebels from the Nuer tribe tried to overthrow government forces from
0:06:16 > 0:06:19the Dinka tribe, known as the SPLA.
0:06:21 > 0:06:2350,000 people have been killed,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27and over three million forced to flee their homes.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32So, that is the doctrinal side of it...
0:06:32 > 0:06:36This will be the British Army's first humanitarian peacekeeping mission
0:06:36 > 0:06:41since the day the UN were unable to stop the massacres in Bosnia in the 1990s.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Stability will only be achieved in South Sudan
0:06:46 > 0:06:48if the fledgling state
0:06:48 > 0:06:50is able to stand on its own two feet.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Personal security's a real issue,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54whether that's sexual violence
0:06:54 > 0:06:58or attacks between various tribal elements.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Providing security for the population is key.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06Violence can break out, we could have a major natural disaster,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08inflows of refugees, economic downturns,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11contests for the transition of power.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14I'd suggest we've got most of those going on in South Sudan.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19So, they are all eating away at the stability of the state.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23The UN's role in South Sudan is to provide humanitarian aid,
0:07:23 > 0:07:28broker peace, and protect civilians escaping the war.
0:07:28 > 0:07:3514,000 UN soldiers and police currently guard 210,000 civilians,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38who have sought sanctuary in eight POCs -
0:07:38 > 0:07:40protection of civilian camps -
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and try to patrol the wider country.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Just have a look at Winston Churchill's view of the United Nations.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54So nobody is saying that the UN is going to be able to solve
0:07:54 > 0:07:58all of those problems. There are many challenges.
0:07:58 > 0:08:03But it's about, through your mission, supporting in every way you can.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Thank you for coming to speak to us today.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09It's been tremendously informative.
0:08:09 > 0:08:15Lieutenant Colonel Jason Ainley will be the commanding officer of the British Army and South Sudan.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Rape is frequently used as a weapon over there.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23I think women are very vulnerable. We hear horrible stories of women
0:08:23 > 0:08:26leaving the protection of civilian sites to go and get firewood,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29and soldiers capturing them and raping them.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33The sense of right and wrong is skewed absolutely the wrong way.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44This is a very different mission for the British Army.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48They must take orders from the UN, who can only operate
0:08:48 > 0:08:52with the consent of the two warring factions in South Sudan.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55The British contingent of engineers,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59medics and infantrymen will be deployed to bolster security
0:08:59 > 0:09:03and infrastructure at two of the biggest POC camps.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Around that camp they need to protect these civilians,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13so they need fencing, they need watchtowers.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15They need roads to be able to move supplies,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18they need helicopter landing pads to get more supplies in,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20and that's where we come in,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24because we provide that engineering support to either repair
0:09:24 > 0:09:26that infrastructure or actually put it in place.
0:09:40 > 0:09:46One detachment of 190 British soldiers have been posted to Malakal,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49in the north-east of the country.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53The area has been subject to fierce fighting,
0:09:53 > 0:09:58as government SPLA troops and Dinka militia tried to wrestle control of
0:09:58 > 0:10:02the oil-rich region from the Nuer tribe.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07Malakal has changed hands 12 times in the last three years.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Government SPLA soldiers now control the city.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29For 30,000 civilians from the Nuer tribe, aligned to the rebels,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32and another local tribe, the Shilluk,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36who have been caught in the crossfire, the camp is their only safe haven.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42First and foremost, we are here for the protection of civilians.
0:10:42 > 0:10:43We're not here to take sides.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48If there's any threat, then... we're here to react to that.
0:10:49 > 0:10:5625-year-old rifleman Sam Warner is one of 30 British soldiers manning the watchtower
0:10:56 > 0:10:58in the British sector of the UN base.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Over there, you can see the children playing football.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08To the right is the POC camp itself.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10It dominates the ground to that side.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14You can see here, Juliet Gate, where the locals come in and out
0:11:14 > 0:11:17if they're gathering food and working in the fields,
0:11:17 > 0:11:22and in front you've got the road as you go from the gate to the POC camp.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27There is an RPG warhead that was dropped just outside.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Potentially, someone was trying to smuggle it in
0:11:29 > 0:11:32and got cold feet at the last minute and ditched it at the gate.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37Maintaining security here is fraught with problems.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41The SPLA claim the POC is harbouring Nuer rebels.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47The UN must stop SPLA soldiers and Dinka militia entering the POC
0:11:47 > 0:11:49and launching attacks.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52At the same time,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55they must also prevent the Nuer rebels using the POC as a base.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01Spotting who is a civilian and who is a combatant is not easy.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07It has been known for the Dinka soldiers,
0:12:07 > 0:12:11the Government forces, to try and sneak into the POC camp.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15The danger then is that the conflict would start in the POC camp.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Which is obviously not what we want at all.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22We're here in case it did happen, we're here to stop that.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26With the SPLA controlling the surrounding area,
0:12:26 > 0:12:30the UN estimate life expectancy for Nuer and Shilluk men
0:12:30 > 0:12:34who leave the POC is just 30 minutes.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39We were told that there was a potential security threat
0:12:39 > 0:12:43to the fighting-age males. They could be mistaken for a combatant,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47so the vast majority of human traffic that goes in and out
0:12:47 > 0:12:50is either very old men, or predominantly women.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55100 UN troops from Ethiopia,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Rwanda and India man the perimeter gates
0:12:58 > 0:13:02and enforce security inside the POC,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04which stretches across two square miles.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15When you look at the size of the POC camp,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17it's quite surprising just how many people there are.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24You're told about it, in our briefs, about, you know, what to expect,
0:13:24 > 0:13:26but it is quite a shock when you first get here.
0:13:29 > 0:13:30You good?
0:13:30 > 0:13:31Good?
0:13:33 > 0:13:35What, mate?
0:13:37 > 0:13:39- What is your name?- My name?
0:13:39 > 0:13:40- Sam.- Sam.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- What's your name?- My name is Seamus.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46Good.
0:13:46 > 0:13:47- You have some money?- Give you money?
0:13:47 > 0:13:49- Yes.- I haven't got any money, mate!
0:13:51 > 0:13:55When you have a hard time, it doesn't really bear thinking about, sort of...
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Britannia, yeah. You actually try and understand,
0:13:58 > 0:14:00it gives you a better rapport with the locals.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03You try and sort of see things from their side of things.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05I don't think you really can fully understand,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07it's a completely different world.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12- Picture?- No, no, no.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16To protect me, and to protect you.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Just 11 months before the British arrived,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28UN guards failed to defend Malakal.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42100 SPLA soldiers breached the camp's perimeter.
0:14:43 > 0:14:49They killed 13 Nuer and Shilluk civilians, and two aid workers.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53They burnt down a third of the POC.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Hundreds were crushed in the stampede to escape.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08The UN was criticised for failing to act.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Essentially if there's a threat to human life, we'd react
0:15:16 > 0:15:19and get rid of that threat,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23and, if necessary, as a last resort, by means of lethal force.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33The UN base at Malakal is in desperate need of improvements to its infrastructure.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39British engineers are undertaking major renovations to expand the camp
0:15:39 > 0:15:43and enable more UN troops to be deployed to the region,
0:15:43 > 0:15:45and increase security for the civilians here.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53So just go for five big ones.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55From there to there.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04- It's going to go under them? - The first layer's going under.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08They are building watchtowers, security fences and gates.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12There's still a little bit of pipework to do here but it's not a massive amount.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16Lieutenant Colonel Jason Ainley is overseeing the construction.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20We've got the civilians just behind us,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22over 30,000 civilians.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26Sometimes you can see them poking their heads up behind the perimeter,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29because they're just curious about what we do.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32I've got very young children, too. When I see the young children
0:16:32 > 0:16:35going around the POC site it always makes me think of my children.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41At one point we nearly built walls that were slightly higher than that,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44but our previous experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan
0:16:44 > 0:16:45were not exactly applicable here.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48What we really need to do is tune into the environment.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51That's what we did. So we lowered our wall,
0:16:51 > 0:16:56so we didn't create Fortress Britannia in a United Nations base.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04Food and medical aid inside the POC is provided by hundreds of UN aid agency staff.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10British engineers are supporting them by building access roads
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and helicopter landing pads so aid can be shipped in.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21We can do our best to create an environment where aid can get to those who need it.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25But there is disease - malaria, cholera, typhoid.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30Many within the UN would say this is the most challenging peacekeeping operation
0:17:30 > 0:17:33currently undertaken by the United Nations,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35and I can see exactly why.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37The situation's dire.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40It's tragic. It's utterly tragic.
0:17:49 > 0:17:56Another 160 British soldiers have been deployed 120 miles south-east of Malakal in Bentiu.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02The area was once a stronghold for rebel forces from the Nuer tribe.
0:18:03 > 0:18:09In 2014 they massacred more than 300 people they suspected of being government supporters.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14When SPLA troops recaptured Bentiu,
0:18:14 > 0:18:19thousands of Nuers sought refuge in a UN camp, fearing reprisals.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23The camp has now trebled in size,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27making it the second-largest city in South Sudan.
0:18:37 > 0:18:44Just 1,200 UN peacekeepers protect 120,000 civilians here.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Security is tight.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51The Nuer fear they will be targeted by the SPLA if they leave.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33In a secure compound on the edge of the camp,
0:19:33 > 0:19:38British engineers have been tasked to build a field hospital for UN soldiers and staff here.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Skip, floats on the draft.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Get lifted up. Put it into the centre, stood upright.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50Let's get the bag off.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53One, two, three.
0:19:57 > 0:19:58Push, push, push.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02At the moment there is no proper medical facilities here.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06If someone is shot, they have to be evacuated by air to the capital,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Juba, 600 miles away.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11We've put up the outer frames.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13We can use it to... Yeah, take that one off, please.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18It means UN soldiers in Bentiu have to limit their patrols
0:20:18 > 0:20:23outside the PLC, and other member states are reluctant to send troops.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Can you strip that doorframe there, ready for a corridor, please?
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Army medic Sergeant Michael Owen
0:20:28 > 0:20:30is playing a lead role in the construction.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34We've still got another Drash to go here,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38which will give us our laboratory and microbiology in that area there.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41And then we've still got a little bit to go down here, as well.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46Another tent down there for our troop, in case they have to go anywhere.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48They'll be stationed there, as well.
0:20:48 > 0:20:49One, two, three.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Step. Step to the right.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54He joined the Army when he was 16.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Just before I turned ten, my mum passed away with cancer.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01After that I realised I wanted to help people.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I kind of wanted to do medicine, something with the military,
0:21:04 > 0:21:09and that kind of just took me towards being a medic in the Army.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10What's the point of moving that?
0:21:10 > 0:21:13We could do that by hand without lifting it.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18When up and running, the hospital will contain an intensive care unit,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20an operating theatre,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24several wards, and will be staffed by 80 British medics.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29Sergeant Owen has just two weeks to get everything ready.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Everyone's hot, everyone's bothered.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Especially during the day, it's very hot.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37You can't really escape the heat that well,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40so everyone's quite stressed on trying to meet the goal, as well.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46The 120,000 refugees inside the camp
0:21:46 > 0:21:50are treated in a hospital run by the NGO, Medecins Sans Frontieres.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58Lieutenant Colonel Simon Horne is one of the lead consultants for the British Army.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03I think everybody's wanted at some point to hop the fence and go
0:22:03 > 0:22:05and do some medicine for the people who clearly need it over there,
0:22:05 > 0:22:12But one of our strengths and weaknesses in a facility like this
0:22:12 > 0:22:15is that we're very highly capable, but our capacity's tiny,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18and so we could help the person in front of us,
0:22:18 > 0:22:20but we couldn't help the person behind them.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24We can't look after everybody in South Sudan.
0:22:24 > 0:22:25That's not our job.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28But also, there are lots of other people here who can.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30The NGOs are all here to do that,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33and they're doing it very well.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37What they need is the confidence that its personnel are being
0:22:37 > 0:22:41looked after to an adequate level, and that's what we provide.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48The hope is that the hospital will encourage other nations to commit more troops to Bentiu.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53With a larger protection zone,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57the Nuer may feel safe enough to leave the PLC and return home.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12Across the country just 14,000 UN soldiers and police
0:23:12 > 0:23:17must try to protect a population of over 12 million living outside the POCs.
0:23:18 > 0:23:24They are thinly spread across 18 bases in a country the same size as France.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28Vast areas are not patrolled by the UN.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32They remain unmonitored and exposed to violence.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39The SPLA are still fighting Nuer rebels just 60 miles from Bentiu.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42And famine has been declared in the wider state,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45forcing more Nuer to arrive at the POC.
0:23:49 > 0:23:5525-year-old Lieutenant Gavin Knox is in charge of force security for the British Army here.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02Today, he is receiving a briefing about the fighting and the tactics the SPLA use.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05So, just a brief situation up there,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I'm not going to smash you with this.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11This is just so you guys can be kept up to date with what exactly's going on.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15The SPLA, the government, have a brigade in almost every county.
0:24:15 > 0:24:22The anti-government forces are massively outmatched in terms of manpower, equipment and supplies.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24So I've got a couple of videos to show you now
0:24:24 > 0:24:26of them actually at work,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30and you can just see they've got very poor control of fire,
0:24:30 > 0:24:31they don't really use cover,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33and when you see them actually firing weapons systems
0:24:33 > 0:24:37you can see it's nowhere near to our levels of marksmanship.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50As you saw there were guys pointing their weapons in the air,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52looking confused. The firing you saw was from the hip.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56No real sort of control of fire or discipline at all.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59In terms of their structure, they've got a lot of junior officers,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01including some of them who have actually been trained by us
0:25:01 > 0:25:04at Sandhurst, but down at the fighting units,
0:25:04 > 0:25:05as you can see, it's more or less chaos.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14It is just pick up your weapons system and run around.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20They still think it's OK to take a village,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24to commit some sort of abuses of power and authority,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28which we do see a lot of, and that includes taking as much food,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30money and equipment as they can carry.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35That's the SPLA fighting.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39It's important to remember that those rebels, the anti-government forces,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41a lot of them are former SPLA who defected,
0:25:41 > 0:25:46so from this we can apply the same sort of thinking to how the rebels fight.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49In terms of armour, it's a ZPU 4.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52It can put up to 150 rounds a minute into the air,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54with a range out to 2km.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58Previously we have seen one UN helicopter be shot down in South Sudan.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03What that means for us is it can absolutely threaten our air supply routes
0:26:03 > 0:26:05as well as any other air supply routes.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Again similar ranges...
0:26:10 > 0:26:1683 aid workers and 13 UN peacekeepers have been killed in the war.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20The British Army can only use force to protect themselves
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and the civilians if they come under direct attack.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34Today, Lieutenant Knox and ten of his force protection team
0:26:34 > 0:26:38are going to check on the security situation in Bentiu town centre.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43If we just looked at things that were within our camp,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46we'd have a very limited knowledge of actually, what are the government
0:26:46 > 0:26:49forces doing? What are the forces in opposition doing?
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Even getting out to Bentiu and Rubkona allows us to have that wider understanding
0:26:55 > 0:26:59and pre-empt anything that may or may not be coming our way.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01We'll be going through Rubkona itself.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Rubkona is very, very busy.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06There is the divisional headquarters of the SPLA,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09so expect to see a lot of SPLA troops, a lot of activity,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12and also a lot of civilians around that area.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14If we do come under any small-arms fire,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17just conduct the vehicle contact roles as you've been taught,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21so more than likely, provided that one of the vehicles isn't disabled,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23we'll just be driving straight through that contact, OK?
0:27:25 > 0:27:32UN patrols outside the POC camps are frequently curtailed by the SPLA.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35They don't want the UN to interfere in their operations.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Slow right down, slow right down.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11Pull over.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19SPLA vehicle in the middle of our convoy.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Four barrel long rocket system.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26We've seen them quite a few times.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28I don't know...
0:28:28 > 0:28:31I don't know whether they use them for intimidation
0:28:31 > 0:28:34or whether they just use them as troop-carry vehicles.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36I'm not sure. We've seen a few, though.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44When we turn right here, you'll see the T55 on your left-hand side.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Well, directly behind you guys you see it.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54So this is Bentiu itself.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58These are what were the suburbs and stuff like that.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01It's a bit like London!
0:29:06 > 0:29:07Yo!
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Hello. 12-year-old with an AK-47.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13Fuck...
0:29:16 > 0:29:20Over 17,000 children have been recruited to fight in the war.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26These children are, you know, they're the next generation of South Sudan.
0:29:26 > 0:29:32To think that they've already been warped at such an early age, you know, 11, 12,
0:29:32 > 0:29:37by the conflict in such a direct manner, is certainly a disturbing thought.
0:29:42 > 0:29:47If you could keep yourself plus two here to look after the vehicles,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49along with the team...
0:29:50 > 0:29:52- How are you?- I'm good, thank you.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54- How are you?- Yes.- Good.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56And you all right?
0:29:56 > 0:29:58- Where are you going?- Here.
0:29:58 > 0:29:59Here.
0:30:05 > 0:30:10The Nuer have left the town for the safety of the POC.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12Only civilians from the Dinka remain.
0:30:14 > 0:30:19Bentiu is somewhere that you can look at and the mark of conflict
0:30:19 > 0:30:21is pretty much everywhere you look, unfortunately.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28Just to the right, over there, you've got the remnants of the university.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31Bentiu, as far as I'm aware,
0:30:31 > 0:30:36according to the local people, was a thriving university town.
0:30:41 > 0:30:48So, as you can see, there is a remnant of a society here that was actually getting on quite well.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Since the conflict,
0:30:50 > 0:30:55everything that isn't necessary for survival unfortunately has been left
0:30:55 > 0:30:59and you can see where, you know, walls are turning to rubble.
0:30:59 > 0:31:05You're probably not going to see Athlectico Bentiu playing here any time soon.
0:31:09 > 0:31:14In 2014, in Bentiu town centre,
0:31:14 > 0:31:20Nuer rebels carried out the worst massacre in South Sudan's ongoing civil war.
0:31:35 > 0:31:41The victims of what the United Nations' mission in South Sudan is calling an ethnic massacre.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46Anti-Government forces entered the mosque,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49separated ethnic groups and escorted them to safety,
0:31:49 > 0:31:51while the others were killed.
0:31:54 > 0:31:59The sight of bodies piled on streets as well as in mosques has outraged the international community.
0:32:01 > 0:32:06The United States strongly condemns the recent targeted killings last week of hundreds of civilians
0:32:06 > 0:32:10in Bentiu based on their ethnicity and nationality.
0:32:14 > 0:32:19Thousands fled here to the safety of a UN compound, when which tribe you
0:32:19 > 0:32:22were from suddenly became a question of life or death.
0:32:30 > 0:32:35At the time, the UN did not have enough soldiers to stop the rebels,
0:32:35 > 0:32:40who hunted down Dinka civilians over two days, killing 300 men,
0:32:40 > 0:32:42women and children.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44How are you doing?
0:32:45 > 0:32:47How are you doing?
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Hello. How are you doing?
0:32:49 > 0:32:52The UN must now continue to build trust here.
0:32:52 > 0:32:58The UN's been criticised in the past for not acting as strongly as it
0:32:58 > 0:33:02maybe could have done in a situation in order to prevent something pretty
0:33:02 > 0:33:05seriously bad from happening,
0:33:05 > 0:33:07and absolutely that's something that the UK
0:33:07 > 0:33:10does not want to be criticised of.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16In Bentui, a lot of the scars are still very,
0:33:16 > 0:33:18very fresh there and haven't had time to heal at all.
0:33:20 > 0:33:27The daily struggle of the people here to simply survive on what little they have is, you know,
0:33:27 > 0:33:30it's quite a lot to take in sometimes.
0:33:46 > 0:33:53At Malakal, supplies of UN food and medical aid can reach critically low levels.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56UN convoys travelling by road are increasingly being attacked
0:33:56 > 0:33:59and looted.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01- Got water?- Got water.
0:34:01 > 0:34:02- Right, cool.- Right.
0:34:02 > 0:34:03Yep, let's shut this up.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16Logistics-wise, we're in the middle of nowhere, really.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19When the rainy season occurs,
0:34:19 > 0:34:22getting here is a nightmare because there's no roads,
0:34:22 > 0:34:26so that limits it down to air or water,
0:34:26 > 0:34:30so a lot of the vital supplies for the people in this place
0:34:30 > 0:34:33rely on the, er, jetty.
0:34:34 > 0:34:39Engineer Sergeant Cunliffe is helping the UN to build a jetty along the Nile,
0:34:39 > 0:34:43in an attempt to establish a more reliable supply route.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46Hello, lads, how are you doing? All right?
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Leaving the base comes with risk.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53South Sudan is one of the world's poorest countries.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58Corruption is rife and UN staff frequently become targets of extortion.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03One day, I was along this road,
0:35:03 > 0:35:07I was escorting the new LEC - so the Locally Employed Contractor,
0:35:07 > 0:35:12or civilian - to the water point.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16And, er, we drove along this road.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18He had a brand-new governmental vehicle.
0:35:18 > 0:35:23So we got stopped by the SPLA at the checkpoint here,
0:35:23 > 0:35:25and they were just, er...
0:35:25 > 0:35:28They just wanted that vehicle, basically.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30First of all, they said, er,
0:35:30 > 0:35:32"This is not a UN vehicle."
0:35:32 > 0:35:34And I said, "Oh, yes, it is, UN vehicle."
0:35:34 > 0:35:36And he goes, "No, no, it's governmental."
0:35:36 > 0:35:39So, er, I wasn't going to argue with them.
0:35:39 > 0:35:40There was ten of them.
0:35:40 > 0:35:44Yeah. So, unfortunately, they took the vehicle.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46They took the civilian driver, as well.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50It was a bit... It was a bit scary.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59Here we go. We're being stopped now.
0:35:59 > 0:36:00This is SPLA.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06An SPLA soldier spots our camera.
0:36:29 > 0:36:35Despite having approved government permits, the SPLA soldier demands money.
0:36:55 > 0:37:01After payment is refused, an uneasy stand-off lasts over 30 minutes.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12We are eventually escorted to the jetty...
0:37:14 > 0:37:16..with the SPLA in tow.
0:37:21 > 0:37:27UN staff frequently face threats of intimidation and extortion from the SPLA.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30There is little they can do,
0:37:30 > 0:37:34as they must maintain the permission of the government to operate here.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38This is the entrance to the jetty.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43- OK.- OK? Cheers.
0:37:43 > 0:37:44Thank you, sir. Cheers.
0:37:47 > 0:37:48For Sergeant Cunliffe,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51it comes with the territory of operating in a war zone.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57When I was in Iraq, I can remember driving my Land Rover
0:37:57 > 0:38:02and, er, there was about 100 people on top of this bridge.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06And, er, I went under this bridge - there was no other way to go -
0:38:06 > 0:38:10and I got bricked, bricked and stoned.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14I lost two front teeth, fractured eye socket, 70 stitches,
0:38:14 > 0:38:16I got knocked out unconscious, as well.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20Then they sent me to Birmingham Hospital.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24Believe it or not, three weeks after being back in the UK,
0:38:24 > 0:38:28I was back out there. I felt I had unfinished business there.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32I didn't want to let the lads down. I wanted to be with the lads.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Amazing. How many people can say they've worked by the Nile?
0:38:41 > 0:38:49The British Army is helping the UN build a permanent port here so large containers of aid can be shipped in.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52It's a massive job. So every nation and the POCs,
0:38:52 > 0:38:56they all rely on this jetty for, you know, sources of food to come in,
0:38:56 > 0:38:58materials to build.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01You know, by doing all this, the logistics-wise of it,
0:39:01 > 0:39:05we're helping people that are a lot less fortunate than us.
0:39:05 > 0:39:11And, er, the longer we stay here, the more we'll benefit these poor people.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14The port will take months to build.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18Before construction can begin,
0:39:18 > 0:39:24Sergeant Cunliffe and Sapper Stuart Whittaker take soil samples to see if the ground is stable enough
0:39:24 > 0:39:27to support what will be a major build.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34There's local earth, so we're going to get a sample out so we can fully classify it.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38It's going down quite nice, isn't it?
0:39:38 > 0:39:42Yeah. It's not very good for building, to be honest.
0:39:42 > 0:39:43It's a very stiff clay.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48This is the first time that myself and Stuart have worked on the rig together.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55- Oh!- That'll go down well nice.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Yeah. A nice bath, as well, that'd be nice.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Guys, two tables for ITU!
0:40:15 > 0:40:20In Bentiu, British medics and engineers have made rapid progress
0:40:20 > 0:40:22in the construction of the hospital in the last week.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26It's just to test that is...
0:40:26 > 0:40:27That you can get down there.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32Today, all the equipment is finally going in.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38At the moment, we're just putting tables, chairs, stalls,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41benches and things like that.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43Once, er, labs and micro are built,
0:40:43 > 0:40:47that is effectively the main hospital facility complete.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Toilets need to be put into place.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53The water needs, you know,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56make sure we've got a decent water supply, the electrics are working,
0:40:56 > 0:40:58the aircon's working and all the power's working.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02You know, it's going to be a long day, but it's going to be a good day, hopefully.
0:41:04 > 0:41:10For Sergeant Owen, the hospital construction has been a personal test of his character.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14He spent 18 months on medical leave after his last overseas operation.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20My last tour of Afghan in 2009, I was injured in an IED blast.
0:41:21 > 0:41:26Myself and the vehicle commander, we were both injured at the time.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28He sort of was very badly injured.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32At the time, I'd broken my leg, my left leg, in a few places,
0:41:32 > 0:41:34completely destroyed my right elbow.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37Erm... So that was a very, very challenging moment for me.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41Especially as a medic, to be that injured while there was another patient
0:41:41 > 0:41:43who was a lot more sicker than me, erm,
0:41:43 > 0:41:45and I couldn't do anything at the time.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48And this deployment was just to show that, you know,
0:41:48 > 0:41:52however bad times have been, you can still do your job just that one more time. So, yeah.
0:41:55 > 0:42:00With the hospital close to completion and resources freed up,
0:42:00 > 0:42:07Lieutenant Knox wants to see if the British Army can do more to support civilians outside the POC camp.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17Apparently, this bridge was built in the late-'90s by Osama bin Laden.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23We've got a great deal of expertise within the British contingent here.
0:42:23 > 0:42:28We've got medics, doctors, we have engineers.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32The next step is to start looking outside of the POC,
0:42:32 > 0:42:36to start looking at the services communities run on - schools,
0:42:36 > 0:42:38universities, basic medical care.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41It's about jump-starting those resources
0:42:41 > 0:42:44so that when people leave the POC site,
0:42:44 > 0:42:48they're not left with cities that look like Bentiu does at the minute.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Just two people out guarding each vehicle at one time, OK?
0:42:56 > 0:43:01- Yeah.- That's all we need, all right? Don't put anyone up on the stairs or anything like that, OK?
0:43:01 > 0:43:07The UN and State Governor have given Lieutenant Knox special permission to visit the local hospital.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10So you're just happy to show us
0:43:10 > 0:43:13exactly, you know, what you require here
0:43:13 > 0:43:15and what you think would be good
0:43:15 > 0:43:19for the UN to supply you to get this hospital back up to, you know,
0:43:19 > 0:43:22the capacity that you were running at before the conflict.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24Director Dr Rassiban
0:43:24 > 0:43:28has worked here for over five years.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30What are the main diseases and things that you treat here?
0:43:34 > 0:43:35Right.
0:43:38 > 0:43:39Yeah.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44OK.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48- Typhoid?- Yeah, typhoid fever cases.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05There's a lot of people in here.
0:44:05 > 0:44:06- Yeah, a lot of people. - I mean, it's...
0:44:06 > 0:44:10It's only 10.30 in the morning and already you're very full.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12How many patients do you usually see a day?
0:44:17 > 0:44:19Wow.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24OK.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28And that's between, what, 47 staff, did you say?
0:44:28 > 0:44:30- Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.- OK.- Yeah.
0:44:40 > 0:44:41OK.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47So you can... You can test for malaria, but treating for it is difficult?
0:44:47 > 0:44:50- Yeah, yeah, yeah.- You just don't have the...
0:45:08 > 0:45:11The hospital has been repeatedly looted.
0:45:11 > 0:45:16In 2014, 33 patients and staff were executed here,
0:45:16 > 0:45:17forcing many of the staff to flee.
0:45:20 > 0:45:24How are you doing? Lieutenant Gavin Knox.
0:45:24 > 0:45:25How are you doing?
0:45:27 > 0:45:30We're, erm... We're just doing a bit of a look round the hospital to see
0:45:30 > 0:45:35what, you know, quick projects the UN might be able to do here to help you guys.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47Right.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51So you need the... You need the rooms renovating first and then the beds to...
0:45:54 > 0:45:58The war has pushed South Sudan's health-care system to crisis point.
0:45:58 > 0:46:04The country has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08Over 10% of children die before the age of five.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19It's almost awe-inspiring that these people can work in such
0:46:19 > 0:46:23poor conditions and yet achieve so much, with so little.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25I think that that is, you know,
0:46:25 > 0:46:29one of the places where UN could have a huge impact.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32If we're able to just give them that little bit extra, you know -
0:46:32 > 0:46:35the electricity connected into one of their wards,
0:46:35 > 0:46:39the air conditioning put back into one of their operating theatres,
0:46:39 > 0:46:41clean out a room, tidy up the outside,
0:46:41 > 0:46:45mend their fencing so that people aren't stealing their pharmaceutical
0:46:45 > 0:46:48supplies - we could have a huge impact.
0:46:48 > 0:46:54Lieutenant Knox must now wait for approval from the UN and the South Sudanese Government
0:46:54 > 0:46:59before any British medics or engineers can help the local hospital.
0:47:14 > 0:47:22At the camp, the British medics have finished building the hospital for the UN.
0:47:22 > 0:47:24From our right side here,
0:47:24 > 0:47:27we've got our X-ray department with CereTom.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29That's a CT scanner for just the head.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31Er, we then come up this way.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34So depending on the severity of the patient,
0:47:34 > 0:47:38we go left or right. If you go right, it's our surgical team,
0:47:38 > 0:47:41which will be two surgical bays in here with CSSD,
0:47:41 > 0:47:44where they can sterilise their instruments at the back.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46Through to this way,
0:47:46 > 0:47:48we've got ITU.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50So our sick patients, or patients post-surgery,
0:47:50 > 0:47:54or poorly patients can come in here and be closely monitored.
0:47:54 > 0:47:58Through to the top, up here on the right, we've got our labs.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00So in here will be fridges,
0:48:00 > 0:48:04freezer with blood and other products and that,
0:48:04 > 0:48:08and we'll also be able to test blood samples and other specimen samples.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11Through to the back there, they've got the microbiology.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15So in there, there's going to be lots of powerful microscopes and things like that.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18- Hello, my dear, how are you? - Good afternoon.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21- Good afternoon. - Fine. See you tomorrow.
0:48:21 > 0:48:22Yep.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24Yeah, of course.
0:48:24 > 0:48:26- It's good?- Yeah, it's good.
0:48:26 > 0:48:27- Good.- It's good. All good.
0:48:27 > 0:48:28Happy, happy?
0:48:28 > 0:48:30Happy. Very happy.
0:48:30 > 0:48:31- Are you happy?- Happy.
0:48:31 > 0:48:32Good, good.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36Mm, pretty happy with it. It'll do.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40Hopefully, it'll survive its first storm, so that...
0:48:40 > 0:48:42That's the next big one.
0:48:46 > 0:48:51For Sergeant Owen, the success of the hospital build has its contradictions.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54It's a very, very difficult situation for all of us,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57especially all the medical. We'd love to be able to open up and help everybody,
0:48:57 > 0:49:01knowing that there are poorly people and the way the locals live.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06It is always at the back of the head but, sometimes,
0:49:06 > 0:49:08that's just where you've got to leave it.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10You know, we're here to do a job.
0:49:10 > 0:49:11The job is to build the hospital,
0:49:11 > 0:49:16to allow the UN to go out and do the other tasks then to make those people's lives better.
0:49:27 > 0:49:33Lieutenant Knox has been told his request to help the hospital in Bentiu town centre
0:49:33 > 0:49:37has been passed up the UN chain of command and a decision could take months.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42Of course it's frustrating.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44Um, you know, whenever we can't do anything immediately as the British Army,
0:49:44 > 0:49:47it's very frustrating to us because that's how we operate.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51You've got to understand that this is a very new environment for us.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55We are starting to understand how things work here, and once we do,
0:49:55 > 0:49:58the frustrations will go and things may even happen a bit quicker.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13Whoa!
0:50:15 > 0:50:18Rainy season has hit Malakal.
0:50:34 > 0:50:40UN helicopters carrying vital medical supplies are struggling to land.
0:50:40 > 0:50:41Have a step on this.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44So it's been tied over there, but this is still soft and squidgy,
0:50:44 > 0:50:49- and you can see...- Oh, right, yeah.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52There we go. There's the mud, under there.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56So, if they take off at half eight and don't land until half four,
0:50:56 > 0:50:58you've got that time frame.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08British engineers have just five hours to do emergency repairs.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12That's one.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16Sergeant Cunliffe and Sapper Whittaker are brought in to help.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19Say it's heavy rain or a thunderstorm, you don't
0:51:19 > 0:51:21want to land in this, get bogged in and get stuck.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25Or even just any kind of little tip on a helicopter would just send it off one way.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28It could damage the helicopter.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30They're not cheap. They're not cheap at all.
0:51:30 > 0:51:35And not just that, it's a vital means of getting materials and food
0:51:35 > 0:51:40sources in to the, er, poor people in the POC.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44Food goes down, water goes down, supplies go down.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47They then suffer even more, which is unnecessary,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50just because a helicopter went down because it landed on a naff site.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55These drains that we dug before...
0:51:55 > 0:51:57- Yes.- Now they've been tested...
0:51:57 > 0:52:00- Yes.- ..by the rain, have they worked?
0:52:00 > 0:52:04Lieutenant Colonel Jason Ainley is worried the heavy rains
0:52:04 > 0:52:08could leave the British Army isolated and exposed.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10One key concern to us is improving the road.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12When it rains, it's quite treacherous,
0:52:12 > 0:52:15so we worry a little bit about our escape routes.
0:52:15 > 0:52:19It doesn't take very long to turn this place into a proper swamp.
0:52:21 > 0:52:25The pipes are in under there, but it requires kind of local titivation.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28When we get into the guts of the rain season, that could become a real...
0:52:28 > 0:52:30Oh, no, no. Definitely.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33I mean, worst-case scenario would be putting our high-priority vehicles
0:52:33 > 0:52:36parked up along the road, just so we can get them out.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39We need to start putting vehicles that we need to move quickly,
0:52:39 > 0:52:42or that we need access to through the rain, on first.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45- Yeah.- No, thanks very much for that, Pete.- That's OK.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49I think that's it done.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54The engineers finish their repairs just in time.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11The British Army has made significant improvements at Malakal,
0:53:11 > 0:53:16but as the UN increase infrastructure and aid at the POCs,
0:53:16 > 0:53:19they can create a culture of dependency.
0:53:19 > 0:53:23It's a vicious circle the UN wants to try and break.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28We need to look at, um, ideas about,
0:53:28 > 0:53:32how do we support people to return to their places of origin?
0:53:32 > 0:53:34That's a key aspect.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37The POC site is temporary and, yes, it's been long...
0:53:37 > 0:53:40- Yeah.- It's been three and a half years.
0:53:40 > 0:53:45- But now we need to look, what are the security that the people in the POC need to address?- Yeah.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47With the government. And in relation to that...
0:53:47 > 0:53:52Lieutenant Colonel Jason Ainley is meeting with the UN head of the Malakal camp,
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Namibian lawyer Hazel Dewet.
0:53:55 > 0:54:01The UN is now trying to broker a peace deal so the Nuer here feel safe enough to leave.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04The government says they want peace,
0:54:04 > 0:54:08and so we've been talking to all the security organs - the SPLA, the SSP,
0:54:08 > 0:54:11South Sudan Police Force.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14The government has been very clear that they would want for them to come out,
0:54:14 > 0:54:18but the POC community need to feel that they have a level of security.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20Are we still seeing, you know,
0:54:20 > 0:54:23Dinkas being moved back into Malakal from Juba?
0:54:23 > 0:54:24Yes, that's still...
0:54:24 > 0:54:28That's still happening. That is a government policy and approach.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30I'm working with government.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33We need to look at what I call a menu of options.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36- Thanks very much for your time. - Nice to meet you...
0:54:36 > 0:54:40Lieutenant Colonel Ainley fears the government's strategy to repopulate
0:54:40 > 0:54:46Malakal slowly with Dinkas will undermine the UN's efforts.
0:54:46 > 0:54:50Bringing Dinka in to populate the town doesn't chime right with me,
0:54:50 > 0:54:54in terms of the long-term prospects for this area.
0:54:54 > 0:54:59There's also a lot of Shilluk and Nuer people inside this POC camp
0:54:59 > 0:55:04that clearly don't quite feel safe yet to go back to living outside of the camp.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08It is really hard to see a solution in the short term to this
0:55:08 > 0:55:11country because, at the moment, there is still divisions.
0:55:11 > 0:55:12You can't ignore that.
0:55:16 > 0:55:22The 30,000 in the POC camp don't trust the government.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26They are scared to leave and cannot support themselves.
0:55:27 > 0:55:32In the four weeks that rifleman Sam Warner has been in Malakal,
0:55:32 > 0:55:35he has not dealt with any outbreaks of violence.
0:55:38 > 0:55:42We had a child today, erm, with a toy pistol.
0:55:42 > 0:55:43It looked quite realistic.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46I think once he realised that we thought it was maybe real,
0:55:46 > 0:55:48he dropped it and off he went.
0:55:48 > 0:55:49Erm...
0:55:49 > 0:55:53He didn't mean any harm, he was just a normal kid, just running about.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57I think they like us being here.
0:55:57 > 0:55:59I think they like knowing that if something was to happen,
0:55:59 > 0:56:02that we are here to react.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05So if anything was to happen that, you know, as best as possible,
0:56:05 > 0:56:08they are going to be looked after and they are going to be protected.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23Have you been learning? Have you been to school?
0:56:23 > 0:56:27Lieutenant Knox believes it will take decades for the country to heal.
0:56:29 > 0:56:33It's actually quite interesting coming to South Sudan,
0:56:33 > 0:56:35being based in Northern Ireland.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38Northern Ireland is obviously a place that, again, has had a very,
0:56:38 > 0:56:40very troubled past but, today,
0:56:40 > 0:56:43when you're walking around Northern Ireland,
0:56:43 > 0:56:45it's just like being anywhere else in the UK.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47I'm hoping that in the same sort of time frame,
0:56:47 > 0:56:50the people of South Sudan can mend, you know,
0:56:50 > 0:56:53the wounds that have been caused by this conflict and work together
0:56:53 > 0:56:58to create a self-sustaining and working government.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03The British Army have not fired a shot to protect the civilians
0:57:03 > 0:57:06in the first five months of their deployment,
0:57:06 > 0:57:09but they will be here for another three years.
0:57:13 > 0:57:17I don't think we encountered the same threats that we prepared for.
0:57:17 > 0:57:23But you only have to study South Sudan for half an hour to realise that most of the crises
0:57:23 > 0:57:27that have happened here have happened at a moment's notice.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30It goes very bad very quickly.
0:57:30 > 0:57:34Ultimately, the government of South Sudan is responsible for providing
0:57:34 > 0:57:37security and protection to its own people.
0:57:37 > 0:57:43But I don't think there is yet anybody that can unite all sides.
0:57:43 > 0:57:49The international community has given £4 billion in aid to South Sudan,
0:57:49 > 0:57:54but the country still remains in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.