Relations between the two neighbours remain strained amid the ongoing war in Sudan, where the national army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a power struggle since April 2023.
Two senior UN officials briefed the Council on developments in the fertile and oil-rich Abyei area and the activities of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
The peacekeeping mission’s mandate includes monitoring and verifying the redeployment of forces from the region in line with a 2011 agreement.
Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, said the political process has been stalled since the outbreak of the Sudan conflict. Although some steps have been made towards dialogue, “considerable challenges remain in achieving progress on the final status of Abyei,” she said.
She cited the ongoing war in Sudan and political uncertainty in South Sudan as key obstacles to talks. Pobee noted that a recent strategic review of UNISFA “outlined a reinvigorated political role for the Mission, which stands ready to provide support to the parties as they plan a resumption of talks.”
UNISFA has reported an increased presence of RSF elements and their associates in northern Abyei, contributing to higher crime rates, particularly around the Amiet Market, a key trading hub for the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities.
“The market’s rapid growth in recent years has made it a potential flashpoint for intercommunal tensions, adding a new challenge for UNISFA,” Pobee said, highlighting the establishment of illegal checkpoints by the RSF and other armed groups.
She added that UNISFA has been compelled to engage regularly with these groups to facilitate their removal and to reinforce that their presence violates Abyei’s demilitarised and weapon-free status.
Pobee also noted that South Sudanese security forces continue to occupy parts of southern Abyei, another breach of the agreement.
“I reiterate the call for the immediate withdrawal of all armed forces and other armed actors from Abyei, in conformity with the weapon-free status of Abyei,” she told the Council.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
