HARBIN, May 14 (Xinhua) -- A total of 413 Chinese peacekeepers Tuesday departed Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, for the western African nation of Mali for a one-year United Nations peacekeeping mission.

The peacekeepers, consisting of a guard unit of 210 personnel, a sapper unit of 140 and a medical unit of 63, are the seventh group to be sent to the country.

They will take on a number of tasks, including providing security and medical services, as well as road and airport construction.

The peacekeepers have undergone special training to be better prepared for anti-terrorism and anti-riot operations, as well as the high temperatures in the region.

They have also studied UN peacekeeping regulations, diplomatic protocol and local customs.