UN cheers relationship between South Sudan, Sudan
The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix says he is encouraged by a thaw in relations between South Sudan and Sudan over the disputed oil-rich border territory, Abyei claimed by both countries. Lacroix told the Security Council on Wednesday that he was encouraged by the relations between the two countries now that both had established national committees on the question of Abyei. Lacroix briefed Council Members that the warming of their relations was visible in Abyei, where most of the threats to the community were of a criminal nature, not of military nature.
The area was accorded special administrative status in 2004, and a UN Interim Security Force, UNISFA, operates there to provide support for local policing, and the deployment of armed forces, in accordance with a 2011 Agreement. Referring to this week's military coup in Sudan, he said that it is too early to know what the impact of this week's developments in Khartoum will mean for the region and the Interim Security Force. He added that he is hopeful as all parties in Sudan are, and have been, strong supporters of the Mission. UNISFA was established in 2011. In a resolution, earlier this year, the Security Council asked for a possible drawdown and exit strategy.
Following that request, Lacroix presented a strategic review, which indicated that UNISFA was successfully continuing its work, to protect the people of Abyei through its military and mine action presence. In the reporting period, from April 16, 2021 to Oct. 15, 2021, the mission's humanitarian and recovery work reached more than 103,000 vulnerable people. Lacroix said that most of the new challenges during this period were related to the mandate of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM). Representatives of the community in Gok Machar made it difficult, and eventually impossible, for UNISFA to continue to support the implementation of the JBVMM mandate to a large extent.
According to him, the review team identified an important space for UN peace-building, humanitarian, recovery and development assistance. He said that it is my hope that the council will provide UNISFA with a continued, and somewhat strengthened, mandate in this particular area, while slowly but steadily identifying areas where the military and security side of the Mission could start preparing for an eventual drawdown. With respect to the military side, the strategic review proposes two options: keep overall force numbers close to what they are currently, or a lightly reduced troop ceiling.
Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the Secretary-General Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, also briefed Council Members on the region, and relations between Sudan and South Sudan. He noted that most of what he was reporting may sound a bit removed from the unfolding situation in Sudan which could potentially negatively impact bilateral relations but also hoped that the recent positive trend will not be derailed. He said the two countries had been deepening their relationship, pointing out several high-level visits and initiatives in support of each other's peace processes. For the special envoy, a newly agreed deal to resume export and border trade is a crucial step, but has so far not materialised, having been overtaken by the unfolding events in Sudan.
Regarding Abyei, he said that the long-standing deadlock has hindered any progress, besides leaving the area with a clearly defined status that has continued to stoke instability. The special representative also highlighted the high-level committees that both countries established, informing that they are currently both reviewing all past agreements. AThe goal is to have negotiations, facilitated by a third party that would lead to the settlement of the final status of the region.
