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STORY: UN / ABYEI UNISFA
TRT: 05:10
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 07 MAY 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
07 MAY 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa Guang Cong on screen
3. Various shots, Sudan and South Sudan’s ambassadors
4. Med shot, Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee addressing Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA):
“The political environment in Abyei remained constrained by the conflicts in the Sudan and instability in South Sudan. This situation limited progress by the two countries towards resolving their disputes over the management of the Abyei territory and its final status.”
6. Med shot, Pobee addressing Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA):
“The security environment deteriorated over the past six months, mostly due to criminality, weapons proliferation and the presence of unauthorised armed actors, which have combined to create a complex and volatile threat environment. UNISFA recorded 196 security incidents, with 58 fatalities and 69 injuries, marking a significant increase from the previous reporting period.”
8. Med shot, Pobee addressing Council
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA):
“The immediate withdrawal of all unauthorised forces, including the South Sudan People's Defence Forces and the Rapid Support Forces from the Abyei area, remains essential.”
10. Wide shot, Council, Cong on screen
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Guang Cong, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa:
“Given the geographical, historical, economic and political ties between the two countries, South Sudan is one of the neighbouring countries most affected by these conflicts. Since the start of the war in Sudan in 2023, over 1.3 million Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees have fled to South Sudan. This massive influx has compounded an already dire humanitarian situation.”
12. Wide shot, Council dais, Cong on screens
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Guang Cong, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa:
“I will continue to support efforts to resolve outstanding issues from the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between Sudan and South Sudan, and will continue to provide support to the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan, the African Union and EGAD, as well as other partners in the ongoing efforts to end the war in Sudan and to initiate a political process that should also include South Kordofan and the Blue Nile states. I will also continue to engage with the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to restart dialogue on the final status of Abyei.”
14. Wide shot, Council, Cong on screen
15. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ammar Mohammed Mahmoud Mohammed, Counsellor and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sudan:
“The targeting of peacekeepers by the Rapid Support Militias constitutes a war crime that requires accountability. The Security Council must also hold the United Arab Emirates accountable for supplying the militia with the drone used in this crime, thereby making the UAE an accomplice in this war crime. We call upon the UN Secretariat to conclude its investigations into this incident and publish the findings with utmost transparency.”
16. Wide shot, Sudanese Ambassador Ammar Mohammed Mahmoud Mohammed addressing Council
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ammar Mohammed Mahmoud Mohammed, Counsellor and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sudan:
“The Sudan reiterates that the sustainable solution to the Abyei issue can only be achieved through dialogue and genuine cooperation between the two countries, away from any escalation or unilateral measures to safeguard the interests of the people of Abyei and promote lasting peace in the region.”
18. Wide shot, Council, Cong on screen
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Cecilia Adout Majok Adeng, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, South Sudan:
“The Republic of South Sudan and the Republic of Sudan continue to be engaged bilaterally as we undergo our both difficult situations, and we are continuing to keep our bilateral relations as great as they could be. And with the attention in mind that the stability of both Sudan and South Sudan, it's for the safety of both of our countries.”
20. Wide shot, Council, Cong on screen
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Cecilia Adout Majok Adeng, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, South Sudan:
“The people of Abyei continue to remain in all of our levels of governance, including ministers in the cabinet and members of the parliament in the South Sudan government. Therefore, we have a higher stake for the final status of Abyei and for the people of Abyei to experience stability and for them to continue living in peace in their own areas. The final question of Abyei cannot remain unresolved indefinitely. South Sudan believes that time has come to renew political momentum and sustain international support towards a credible and forward-looking process aimed at achieving final settlement.”
22. Pan right, end of Council meeting
Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee today (7 May) told the Security Council that the political environment in Abyei has remained “constrained by the conflicts in the Sudan and instability in South Sudan,” limiting progress by the two countries “towards resolving their disputes over the management of the Abyei territory and its final status.”
Pobee noted that the security environment “deteriorated over the past six months, mostly due to criminality, weapons proliferation and the presence of unauthorised armed actors, which have combined to create a complex and volatile threat environment.”
The Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), she said, “recorded 196 security incidents, with 58 fatalities and 69 injuries, marking a significant increase from the previous reporting period.”
Pobee noted that the mission continues to conduct robust patrols and rapid response operations, while also supporting weapons disposal, mine action and humanitarian access, adding that sustained engagement by the Council will remain essential to uphold the demilitarized status of Abyei and advance a durable political solution.
She said, “the immediate withdrawal of all unauthorised forces, including the South Sudan People's Defence Forces and the Rapid Support Forces from the Abyei area, remains essential.”
Briefing via VTC, the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Guang Cong told the Council that “since the start of the war in Sudan in 2023, over 1.3 million Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees have fled to South Sudan,” and added that “this massive influx has compounded an already dire humanitarian situation.”
Cong said his Office continues to engage with the Abyei High-Level Committee and other stakeholders to support preparations for renewed bilateral talks, while urging progress on benchmarks tied to the mission’s mandate renewal and broader concerns.
He said, “I will continue to support efforts to resolve outstanding issues from the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between Sudan and South Sudan, and will continue to provide support to the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan, the African Union and IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) as well as other partners in the ongoing efforts to end the war in Sudan and to initiate a political process that should also include South Kordofan and the Blue Nile states.”
Cong said he will also “continue to engage with the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to restart dialogue on the final status of Abyei.”
Noting the killing of six Bangladeshi peacekeepers in a drone attack on a UNISFA base in December, Sudanese Ambassador Ammar Mohammed Mahmoud Mohammed told the Council that “the targeting of peacekeepers by the Rapid Support Militias constitutes a war crime that requires accountability,” and stressed that the Council “must also hold the United Arab Emirates accountable for supplying the militia with the drone used in this crime, thereby making the UAE an accomplice.”
Mohammed called upon the UN Secretariat “to conclude its investigations into this incident and publish the findings with utmost transparency.”
The Ambassador said a “sustainable solution to the Abyei issue can only be achieved through dialogue and genuine cooperation between the two countries, away from any escalation or unilateral measures to safeguard the interests of the people of Abyei and promote lasting peace in the region.”
For her part, South Sudanese Ambassador Cecilia Adout Majok Adeng said, “the Republic of South Sudan and the Republic of Sudan continue to be engaged bilaterally as we undergo our both difficult situations, and we are continuing to keep our bilateral relations as great as they could be. And with the attention in mind that the stability of both Sudan and South Sudan, it's for the safety of both of our countries. “
Adeng said, “the people of Abyei continue to remain in all of our levels of governance, including ministers in the cabinet and members of the parliament in the South Sudan government. Therefore, we have a higher stake for the final status of Abyei and for the people of Abyei to experience stability and for them to continue living in peace in their own areas.”
The final question of Abyei, she said, “cannot remain unresolved indefinitely,” and added that “South Sudan believes that time has come to renew political momentum and sustain international support towards a credible and forward-looking process aimed at achieving final settlement.”
