S/PV.8932 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of South Sudan to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2021/1034, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United States of America. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2609 (2021). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the voting.

The Russian Federation supported resolution 2609 (2021), which extends the mandate of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) for an additional six months. We believe that the work of the mission in the current context is important and much-needed. Nevertheless, we would like to express our regret in connection with the fact that the American penholder insisted on maintaining a stronger accusatory slant, blaming both States for the unresolved tasks before the mission. We cannot deny that issues indeed remain when it comes to staffing UNISFA’s police contingent, the appointment of a civilian Head of Mission and access to the Anthony airstrip. However, practice has shown that pressure and accusations towards the parties with regard to blocking the implementation of the mandate is not something that can help solve those problems. We call on the leadership to continue efforts to establish constructive dialogue on those issues with Khartoum and Juba. The positions of the parties and the concerns they have expressed require careful consideration. The basis for the work of peacekeepers in Abyei, as well as any other United Nations peacekeeping operation, should be the basic principles of peacekeeping. We call on the mission to be guided in its work by the most recent report of the General Assembly Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, including when it comes to civilian protection objectives in Abyei. We also note the need to strictly abide by the United Nations basic guiding principles for the provision of humanitarian assistance when carrying out humanitarian operations, as set out in General Assembly resolution 46/182.

I now give the floor to the representative of South Sudan.

I thank you, Mr. President, for giving my delegation the opportunity to speak before the Security Council. My delegation welcomes the Council’s adoption of resolution 2609 (2021) and calls for the implementation of the provisions therein. Allow me to thank the penholder for its positive role during the negotiating phase, as well as those members who had an opportunity to reach out and seek our views. The Government of South Sudan appreciates the presence in the region of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and the positive role it has played over the years, sometimes under difficult circumstances and with contingents serving away from their loved ones. We would like them to know that we appreciate their role. We welcome the renewed concern over the unresolved impasse between the parties on reaching an agreement on the final status of Abyei. South Sudan remains focused and committed to peaceful means in reaching a final resolution as agreed in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, with the people of Abyei deciding, in a free and fair referendum, where they want to be. Nevertheless, the lingering challenge is the fact that UNISFA is an interim arrangement pending a resolution of the final status of Abyei. An aspect of the impasse on Abyei is the fact that the Sudan is making effective use of the passage of time to impose a new reality on the ground through radical demographic transformation. At a time when the region and the international community are working hard to find lasting peace in Abyei, that move is a very dangerous trend that is sowing the seeds of violent conflict in the Area. It must be stopped with a sense of urgency. The final award of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague defines Abyei as the land of the nine chiefdoms of the Ngok Dinka. The territory is clearly demarcated on the map — in fact, the award was for about a third of the territory that the Abyei Boundary Commission demarcated to be that of the Ngok Dinka. That decision, which was to be final and binding, was rejected by the Sudan, which necessitated resort to The Hague. The decision by The Hague was accepted by the parties, with the Sudan claiming victory. South Sudan and the Ngok Dinka accepted the decision, despite the massive reduction of the ancestral land of the Ngok Dinka by the Court. We welcome that today’s resolution calls for UNISFA to have a greater role in expanding intelligence-gathering within the box, to enable for better preparation and positioning of its forces in case of any planned attacks by criminal elements in the Area, as was the cases in Kolem, Mabok and Dunguop, to which the resolution refers. The arms-free nature of the Abyei box has been well articulated by different Council resolutions over the years. Nevertheless, the Sudan continues to keep the so-called oil police in Diffra, in total violation of the demands of the Council. We call on the Council to reiterate to the Sudan the importance of heeding that call. The resolution adopted today calls for the United Nations country teams in both the Sudan and South Sudan to help with the provision of services in Abyei. To date, despite the shared sovereignty of the box, South Sudan shoulders the responsibility for providing services to the people. We therefore appreciate the Council’s call for surge and reinforcement. In conclusion, the ultimate resolution and an exit strategy for UNISFA lie the call for the realization of the final status of Abyei. We call on the Security Council, the African Union Peace and Security Council, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and friends of both the Sudan and South Sudan to work towards the goal of realizing the final status. The people of Abyei deserve it. We would like to express our appreciation to the Council members who will not be with us next year. I thank them for their valuable support while on the Council. We would also like to wish the Council and your delegation, Mr. President, happy holidays and a merry Christmas.