November 5, 2024
Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you Assistant Secretary-General Pobee for sharing UNISFA’s progress on mandate implementation and your updates on Abyei. We also thank UNISFA personnel who are actively working to advance peace and security in the Abyei every day even amidst ongoing challenges stemming from the Sudan crisis and the political uncertainty in South Sudan. I also welcome the representatives of South Sudan and Sudan to this meeting.
We also express our appreciation of the work of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Hanna Tetteh, who recently concluded her time in this position, for her dedication to peace during her term.
As we work towards renewal of UNISFA’s mandate, we must note that unresolved tensions between Sudan and South Sudan continue to limit prospects for engagement between the parties on the Abyei political process, with no real progress regarding the resolution of the final status of Abyei.
The Secretary-General’s comprehensive report on the situation in Abyei sheds light on how the ongoing conflict in Sudan and political uncertainty in South Sudan risks a further deterioration of the security and governance in the region.
In Sudan, conflict jeopardizes the work of UNISFA and impedes the mission’s ability to carry out its mandated tasks, including protecting civilians, facilitating humanitarian efforts, supporting a peaceful settlement of the final status of Abyei and its border issues, and the establishment of the Abyei Police Service.
In South Sudan, delayed elections, the presence of South Sudanese security forces in the southern part of Abyei, and restrictions on freedom of movement for peacekeepers also interfere with UNISFA’s ability to carry out its mandate.
Yet again, we must express our regret that no progress has been made on determining the final status of Abyei, appointing a Civilian Deputy Head of Mission for UNISFA, agreeing on border demarcation, or establishing joint institutions such as an Abyei Police Service.
At the same time, we must stress that the Sudanese authorities’ refusal to grant visas for UNISFA police compromises UNISFA’s ability to carry out its protection of civilians and rule of law tasks. While Sudan approved visas for individual police officers, we note that the mission still awaits the deployment of the three Formed Police Units approved by the Security Council.
In this environment, intercommunal violence, involving Ngok Dinka, Twic Dinka, and Nuer, continues to pose major risks in southern Abyei, presenting significant risks to civilians. We express hope for the continued overall trend of reduced intercommunal violence and recognize the representatives of the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities for their willingness to engage in dialogue.
In addition, the presence of South Sudanese People’s Defense Force personnel is a violation of the 2011 agreement on temporary arrangements and further undermines security in the area.
Unfortunately, the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mission (JBVMM) continues to be affected by the conflict in Sudan. The closure of Sudanese airspace has been preventing aerial monitoring operations while ground monitoring and mission assessment patrols continue, to the extent these are not impeded by poor infrastructure and flooding. Continued engagement by UNISFA JBVMM Sector 1 headquarters in Gok Machar including with community leaders, women and youth, led to re-establishing the JBVMM presence there, an important accomplishment. We further stress the need for country support for the JBVMM.
We are gravely concerned for the millions of civilians in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance in Sudan and condemn any attacks on humanitarian workers there. This, coupled with the arrival of displaced people from Sudan, places an immense strain on already limited humanitarian resources in Abyei.
Once this Council approves the renewal of UNISFA’s mandate, we will want to focus on addressing taxation affecting UNISFA and humanitarian assistance, the disruption of supply lines, closure of airspace, the inability to deploy Formed Police Units, as well as the presence of SSPDF forces inside the Abyei box in contravention to agreements.
The United States reiterates our call to all parties to respect the safety and security of all UN staff, facilities, and humanitarian and medical personnel. We strongly urge the parties to ensure UNISFA and humanitarian partners have immediate, full, safe, and unhindered access throughout Abyei to carry out their life-saving work and to Sudan and South Sudan to facilitate freedom of movement for the JBVMM to accomplish its mandate.
We continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Sudan in their desire for democracy and call for the SAF and RSF to implement and uphold a permanent nationwide ceasefire. We urgently call on parties to the war in Sudan to end the conflict, commit to the safety, security, and protection of civilians and to allow for a transition to civilian rule, which will also support the full implementation of UNISFA’s mandate.
We also call on the transitional government of South Sudan to ensure removal of impediments to UNISFA’s mission success such as the presence of government armed troops inside the Abyei box.
Thank you, Mr. President.