The UN peacekeeping force on patrol in Abyei (Photo: AFP/VNA)The meeting, chaired by Vietnam – UNSC Presidentfor April, was attended by UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace OperationsJean-Pierre Lacroix and Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Hornof Africa Parfait Onanga-Anyanga.
Speakers applauded the positive progress inSudan and South Sudan, as well as many important strides in the two countries’relations in the recent past. They said the countries have made certain effortsto resume dialogue in resolving the Abyei issue but also held that they haveyet to attain many substantive results.
UN Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroixvoiced his concern about the security situation in Abyei over the past monthsamid the COVID-19 pandemic, the escalation of violence among communities, andattacks on UNISFA.
He quoted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterresas saying that there haven’t been any solutions accepted by the related partiestowards the withdrawal of UNISFA in the coming time. He also called on the UNSCto extend UNISFA tasks for six months so that the parties concerned cancontinue seeking appropriate solutions to the Abyei issue.
Meanwhile, Special Envoy Parfait Onanga-Anyangaunderlined the importance of enhancing the UN’s coordination with the AfricanUnion and regional countries to promote peace, stability, and communities inAbyei living peacefully side by side.
UNSC member states spoke highly of the continuedimprovements in Sudan-South Sudan relations but also expressed their concernabout the recent developments in the security and humanitarian situation inAbyei.
They appealed to the two countries to soon seekpeaceful solutions to the Abyei issue, reiterating their support for activitiesof UNISFA and the special envoy.
For their part, representatives of Sudan andSouth Sudan affirmed the two governments’ commitment to cooperating withUNISFA, stressing the countries’ recent efforts to boost dialogue to resolvethe Abyei issue peacefully.
The Ethiopian representative said as the largestcontributor of troops to UNISFA, Ethiopia will continue making contributions sothat UNISFA can fulfill its duties.
Welcoming the strides in South Sudan and Sudanas well as in bilateral relations since the beginning of 2021, Ambassador DangDinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, urged the twogovernments to make use of the positive momentum in bilateral ties to soon dealwith the Abyei issue by peaceful means and on the basis of international lawand the UN Charter.
He shared the concern about the security andhumanitarian situation in Abyei, along with attacks on UNISFA.
The diplomat emphasised the importance ofensuring safety for the UNISFA force. He asked the governments of Sudan andSouth Sudan to create conditions for UNISFA to fully perform its tasks and toset up common institutions in line with relevant resolutions of the UNSC.
Quy also highly valued efforts by the UN,organisations, and regional countries to assist Sudan and South Sudan topeacefully handle the Abyei issue, lauding efforts by UNISFA and the UN MineAction Service in dealing with humanitarian challenges, including those relatedto bombs and landmines in Abyei.
Sudan and South Sudan signed an agreement on thedisputed Abyei region on June 20, 2011 under which they pledged to withdrawtroops from the demilitarised zone. However, they haven’t obtained muchsubstantive progress in the agreement implementation.
UNISFA, set up in 2011 under UNSC Resolution1990, was tasked with protecting civilians and promoting demilitarisation inAbyei. It was supplemented with the duty of supporting the Joint BorderVerification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM) in this region under Resolution2024 on December 14, 2011./.
VNA
