7580th Security Council Meeting: Extension of UNISFA Mandate

The Security Council today extended until 15 May 2016 the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping operation for the disputed Abyei area bordering Sudan and South Sudan.

• Categories: Meetings & Events / Security Council
• Video Length: 00:09:20
• Production Date: 15 December 2015
• Asset Language: Arabic; Chinese; English; French; Russian; Spanish
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS INTERIM SECURITY FORCE FOR ABYEI - UNISFA
• Subject Topical: PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
• Geographic Subject: SOUTH SUDAN; SUDAN
• MAMS Id: 1532140
• Parent Id: 1531359

Description

Unanimously adopting resolution 2251 (2015) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the Council also extended the tasks of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) until the same date, determining that support for the operational activities of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism would include the Ad Hoc Committees, as appropriate.

Also by the text, the Council decided to maintain the troops authorized and already deployed under resolution 2104 (2013), and that the remaining authorized forces would continue to be deployed depending on the evolution of the Mechanism. It expressed regret that another meeting of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee had not taken place and urged the swift resumption of regular meetings to ensure steady progress on implementation of the 20 June 2011 Agreement.

In that context, the Council condemned the intermittent presence of South Sudan security service personnel and the deployment of Diffra Oil Police units in the Abyei area, in violation of the 2011 Agreement, as well as the entry of armed militias into that territory, reiterating its demands that South Sudan “immediately and without preconditions” redeploy its security services and Oil Police from those areas.

Underscoring that the Mission’s civilian-protection mandate included taking necessary actions to protect those under imminent threat of physical violence, irrespective of its source, the Council urged the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to take immediate steps to implement confidence-building measures among communities in the Abyei area, including through grass-roots reconciliation processes.

Further, it called upon all parties to cooperate with the recommendations following the Abyei Area Joint Investigation and Inquiry Committee’s investigation into the killing of a UNISFA peacekeeper and the Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief. The Council demanded that Sudan and South Sudan continue to facilitate the deployment of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and that all parties involved allow humanitarian personnel full, safe and unhindered access to civilians in need.

Omer Dahab Fadl Mohamed (Sudan) took the floor after the adoption, noting that today’s resolution stressed the importance of the 20 June Agreement between his country and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) on temporary arrangements for the administration and security of the Abyei area. It also stressed that Abyei’s final status could be determined only through dialogue between the two parties. It emphasized the importance of full implementation of: the 29 June 2011 Agreement between Sudan and South Sudan on border security and the Joint Political and Security Mechanism; the 30 July 2011 Agreement on the Border Monitoring Support Mission; and the 27 September 2012 agreements on cooperation and security arrangements. Those accords were mutually reinforcing and should be implemented without selectivity, he said, adding that Sudan was committed to implementing them.

The best way to create an environment conducive to peace was by establishing the Temporary Administration, the Abyei Police Service and the Abyei Legislative Council, he said, adding that, if put in place, they would fill any security or administrative vacuums while boosting peaceful coexistence between the Misseriya and the Ngok Dinka peoples. Until the final status of Abyei was determined, the area was part and parcel of Sudan’s territory, he said, emphasizing that the reference to UNISFA’s civilian head in paragraph 15 of the text adopted today was in stark contradiction to paragraph 41 of the Secretary-General’s report on Abyei (document S/2015/870). Sudan categorically rejected it, he stressed, calling upon the Council to reconsider that issue. Sudan also had reservations about a new phrase in preambular paragraph 7 regarding human rights monitoring and reporting. He noted with appreciation, however, that the resolution again stressed concern about the unilateral referendum held by the Ngok Dinka, and reaffirmed Sudan’s commitment to a negotiated settlement of Abyei’s status. In that context, he underlined the “excellent relations” between Sudan and South Sudan, which were interwoven in their deep historical bonds.

The meeting began at 10:09 a.m. and ended at 10:18 a.m.