Security Council Press Statement on Abyei, Sudan

 

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Gérard Araud (France):

The members of the Security Council are deeply concerned about the situation in Abyei, and condemn any action by either party to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that runs counter to President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir and First Vice President Salva Kiir’s agreement to resolve the situation peacefully through negotiation and the assistance of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel.  The members of the Security Council urge the Comprehensive Peace Agreement parties to work to reduce tensions and swiftly reach an agreement on the status of Abyei.

In this regard, the members of the Security Council welcome the commitments made by Vice President Ali Osman Taha and First Vice President Kiir to the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel, that neither party shall include an unconditional claim to Abyei in its draft national Constitution.  The members of the Security Council urge both parties to honour these commitments, to avoid escalation and to seek a peaceful negotiated solution to the status of Abyei.  The Council affirms that it is the responsibility of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement parties, including during their negotiations under the auspices of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel and its Chair, President Thabo Mbeki, to reach agreement on the status of Abyei.  In this regard, the Council acknowledges the July 2009 ruling by The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration, which defines the borders of Abyei.

The members of the Security Council condemn the introduction, by both parties, of armed forces into Abyei in violation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and recent violence resulting in fatalities from both sides, and the 10 May shooting of four peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS).  The Council welcomes the agreement reached on 8 May to immediately implement the Kadugli Agreements and withdraw troops, as agreed upon, from Abyei, and urges both sides to act expeditiously to implement this agreement.  The Council urges the United Nations Mission in Sudan to monitor the situation on the ground in Abyei and to fully implement its Chapter VII mandate to protect civilians.  The Council calls on all parties to provide full and unhindered access for UNMIS.

The members of the Security Council welcome the completion of voting in the elections in South Kordofan State, but remain deeply concerned by the rising levels of insecurity there, and call on all parties to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric and to await the results of the elections, in accordance with a peaceful and credible process.

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For information media • not an official record