November 5, 2024
Madam President,
We are grateful to the Assistant Secretary General for Africa, Ms. Martha Pobee, for her briefing. We welcome the participation in today’s meeting of the representatives of Sudan and South Sudan.
As the UN Secretary-General’s report notes, recent months have not brought any political progress in the Abyei settlement. However, under the current circumstances, there are objective factors that do not allow us to expect more. Sudan is in a grip of a heightened armed conflict, the epicenter of which is increasingly shifting to Darfur. South Sudan is facing major challenges in delivering on its obligations under the Revitalized Peace Agreement in the context of the authorities’ decision to extend the transitional period for further two years and postpone the first-ever general elections to December 2026. Both countries are encountering a shortage of financial resources and humanitarian problems, they are subjected to political blackmailing and external interference, including through harnessing unlawful unilateral measures.
Basically, the situation in Abyei has not much deteriorated over the recent months. We welcome the responsible approach demonstrated by both states with regard to Abyei. We commend the steps taken by South Sudan to host Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees. We also note Juba’s efforts to facilitate inter-community reconciliation in Abyei. At the same time, we are concerned about sporadic outbreaks of ethnically motivated violence, although in general their intensity has significantly decreased, which is reflected in the UNSG’s report.
We still believe that there is a need for joint efforts by the parties in Abyei affairs. We deem unacceptable any destructive external interference in the affairs Sudan and South Sudan who are friends of ours. We are convinced that the peoples of the two countries can and must independently solve all internal problems, including the final status of Abyei. Any initiatives to restore peace and resolve bilateral disputes without the participation of Port Sudan and Juba are doomed to failure. We believe that the only thing the international community should do is providing assistance to both capitals in making sovereign and mutually acceptable decisions regarding this disputed region. At the same time, we deem it important for both parties to uphold their obligations to support the status of Abyei as a demilitarized zone.
Against that backdrop, UNISFA remains a critical factor in ensuring stability. We welcome the contribution by the Blue Helmets to addressing current security challenges, maintaining law and order and strengthening relations between local communities.
We are concerned about problems in the work of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM), including the operation of supply routes and the rotation of the UNISFA personnel as well as the delayed commissioning of the Mechanism’s headquarters in the South Sudanese village of Gok-Machar. We would call on the UNISFA leadership to more actively engage with the authorities of both States.
We believe that the continued presence of the Blue Helmets in the area is pertinent. We trust that the UNISFA configuration, including in terms of the military-to-police ratio, will take into account the situation on the ground and the views of the parties. We believe that, given the fact that the status of Abyei is still unresolved and the overall tension in the two Sudans persists, we should refrain from any drastic steps to reshape the Mission’s activities and reduce its “footprint” on the ground.
I thank you for your attention.