United Nations officials warned the Security Council on Thursday that the war in Sudan and instability in South Sudan were worsening security conditions in the disputed Abyei region and delaying progress toward resolving its final status.
Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, said Sudan and South Sudan had reaffirmed their commitment to Abyei’s demilitarized status and to reviving the Joint Political and Security Mechanism and the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee.
“However, they did not meet during the reporting period,” she told the Council.
Pobee said security conditions in Abyei had deteriorated over the past six months due to criminal activity, the spread of weapons and the presence of unauthorized armed groups.
The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) recorded 196 security incidents and 58 deaths during the reporting period, a sharp rise from the previous six months.
She said South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and police continued to maintain unauthorized checkpoints and occupy civilian infrastructure in southern Abyei, while the presence of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces around Goli and Diffra in northern Abyei remained a major concern.
Pobee also described drone attacks on the UNISFA logistics base in Kadugli, Sudan, in December 2025 as “a major operational setback” for the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism. Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed and nine injured in the attacks.
The attacks forced UNISFA to relocate and shut all team sites in the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone, suspending its physical presence there for the first time since the mechanism was established, she said.
Guang Cong, the U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, said relations between Sudan and South Sudan continued to be shaped by the conflict in Sudan, which began in 2023.
More than 1.3 million refugees and returnees have fled into South Sudan since the war started, placing additional strain on food supplies, healthcare and education services, he said.
Despite the tensions, both governments had maintained “constructive bilateral relations” through high-level meetings in late 2025 and early 2026, focusing on border security, the Heglig oil field and trade, Guang said.
However, he said Abyei’s final status remained one of the key unresolved issues between the two countries.
During discussions, several Security Council members urged Sudan and South Sudan to revive political dialogue and fully implement the 2011 agreement governing Abyei.
The United States criticized what it called a “lack of conviction” by the parties to use UNISFA to consolidate peace, while China said any lasting solution must be political and urged respect for Abyei’s demilitarized status.
Russia said reducing UNISFA forces before a final settlement would be premature, while Britain condemned the December drone attacks and called for accountability.
Sudan’s representative accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying drones to the Rapid Support Forces used in attacks on UNISFA, calling the UAE “an accomplice in this war crime”.
He said Khartoum remained committed to implementing the 2011 Abyei agreement and had approved the deployment of authorized police units.
South Sudan rejected accusations that it had violated the status-of-forces agreement, saying its troops were deployed to Abyei after deadly intercommunal violence in 2022 to stabilize the area and protect civilians.
Juba said lasting peace in Abyei would depend on dialogue, mutual respect and cooperation between all parties.
(Radio Tamazuj)
