Lieutenant Colonel Sheree Alexander, was born in Hamilton, and is one of three New Zealand Defence Force soldiers to be leading the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Photo / NZDF
Lieutenant Colonel Sheree Alexander, was born in Hamilton, and is one of three New Zealand Defence Force soldiers to be leading the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Photo / NZDF
Lieutenant Colonel Sheree Alexander, of Hamilton, is leading a big United Nations mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), east Africa.
She is one of three New Zealand Defence Force personnel involved in the mission, which was established to support the South Sudan government, protect civilians, monitor and investigate human rights violations, provide access to vital services and build toward peace in the country.
Alexander, now serving as the deputy plans officer within the headquarters for the mission, is helping the country face underlying challenges from conflict to poverty, food insecurity, and the widespread displacement of its population.
There are around 18,000 soldiers involved in the mission.
Alexander joined the New Zealand Army almost 25 years ago upon her mother’s request and has since been deployed twice to Afghanistan and once to the Middle East, while also being involved in NZDF’s support during Covid-19.
Now, she is based in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, where she says her job is very diverse.
“We are required to act as negotiators or mediators, drivers, vehicle commanders, patrol commanders, signallers, medics, mechanics, and in the wet season I suspect we’ll be acting as recovery commanders as well.”
She said soldiers work within diverse teams with different training backgrounds, patrol to understand the environment and secure areas for the people there, get guidance on patrols, including who to engage with and how to handle different situations, often interacting with civilians, local force leaders, and even criminal groups.
Alexander said it was “quite confronting” to see the vulnerability of local people, particularly children.
“People have to walk long distances to access healthcare, facing increased wait times when they arrive for treatment or medication.
Flying over Juba, the capital city of South Sudan.
“There are 40,000 people living in the Protection of Civilian (POC) camp in Malakal, and they are a long distance from any support networks or industry, making it difficult to see a way out of their circumstances.
“Most of the camps [here] for internally displaced people have been around for up to 11 years, with some people living there since they opened. A privately run orphanage in Juba received 30 extra children from a camp in a month.
“It’s a huge drain on their limited resources, but if they turned them away, those kids, one was only three months old, would have been on the streets of Juba.”
She said it would also put things into perspective.
“The cost of living crisis that we feel at home in New Zealand is on another level here.
“Fuel costs US$16.50 per litre, approximately NZ$27, and a 250g piece of cheese goes for US$12, close to NZ$20.”
However, although the mission is challenging, Alexander said there are also some light-hearted moments.
“I spend a bit of time explaining common idioms and Kiwi English - herding cats, ducks in a row - and our pronunciation of vowels can cause a few confused looks.’’
In the light of the recent International Women’s Day, Alexander said she would strongly encourage other women to pursue a career with the defence force.
“I have had so many experiences that I wouldn’t have had in any other career.
Lieutenant Colonel Sheree Alexander with UNMISS colleagues in South Sudan. Photo / New Zealand Defence Force
“The NZDF is open to progressing and has made great strides in becoming a gender-conscious organisation.
“There is scope for females within the NZDF to shape the direction of the organisation and to have a positive impact on the lives of others, whether that be in New Zealand or overseas on operations.’’
UNMISS was established as a civilian-led mission to support South Sudan’s government, protect civilians, monitor and investigate human rights violations, provide access to vital services, and build peace in the country.
The mission includes civilian roles working alongside members of the United Nations Police and the UNMISS force.
