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7393rd Security Council meeting on the Sudan and South Sudan
7393rd Meeting (PM)
Representatives of Sudan, South Sudan Address Members
The Security Council this afternoon extended until 15 July 2015 the mandate of the United Nations Interim Security Force for the disputed Abyei area bordering Sudan and South Sudan.
Through the unanimous adoption of resolution 2205 (2015), the Council made no major changes in the mandate of the Force, known as UNISFA, deciding, however, that the remaining authorized forces would continue to be deployed consistent with the evolution of the Joint Border Verification Management Mechanism, the stalled operationalization of which remained a concern. The matter was awaiting the Secretary-General’s forthcoming recommendations.
In that vein, the Council reiterated its demanded for an end to delays in the reconvening of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee and in establishing other local governance, security and confidence-building mechanisms required by the 2011 agreement on the area.
Condemning, in addition, the presence of Sudanese oil police in Abyei, as well as the repeated entry of armed militias, the Council underscored its concern over reports that various communities were heavily armed. It affirmed that UNISFA could confiscate and destroy weapons consistent with its mandate and within existing capabilities.
In his latest report on Abyei (document S/2015/77), the Secretary-General said that the political and security situation on the ground was increasingly tense and required dialogue and cooperation to prevent it from becoming more contentious and unstable.
Following the adoption of today’s resolution, the representative of Sudan, Hassan Hamid Hassan, welcomed the Council’s action, stressing that the agreements signed by the two parties must be implemented as one complete package. Administrative and management mechanisms for Abyei must, therefore, be established. That could foster dialogue between the communities, which was the only way to resolve their differences.
He said that it was well understood that, until the situation was settled in a lasting manner, Abyei remained part of Sudan. His country wanted to see all the issues resolved and the necessary mechanisms operationalized, as it was very keen to see stability in the South. Cooperation and neighbourliness must be developed with South Sudan, in particular, and he hoped that final agreements would be reached in that context.
South Sudan’s representative, Francis M. Deng, also welcomed the resolution’s adoption. He recalled Abyei’s vulnerability to attacks before the deployment of UNISFA and the accompanying diplomatic initiatives. However, the people of the area were still suffering from a vacuum of governance, lack of services and high levels of insecurity, with frequent killings, cattle looting and harassment, in a climate of impunity that had deterred the Ngok Dinka from returning.
Unfortunately, he went on, the resolution, with its even-handed language, did not recognize that the Ngok Dinka were victims and not perpetrators of attacks. Language about “denial of security clearances” and the like were also attributed to all parties, while it was only occurring within Sudan. Good will was needed between Sudan and South Sudan to implement all agreements, but urgent steps were also needed to facilitate co-existence between the Ngok Dinka and the Missiriya communities and to resolve all outstanding issues. Meanwhile, given the lack of State protection and assistance for the Ngok Dinka, the international community was urged to fill the gaps. He welcomed, finally, the language in the resolution that demanded the withdrawal of the oil police.
Taking the floor a second time, Sudan’s representative replied that the lack of security in Abyei worried his country, as well. That was why police had to be deployed around the oil complex. As soon as security was established, they would be withdrawn.
The meeting began at 3:05 p.m. and ended at 3:35 p.m.
