The head of U.N. peacekeeping operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, on Tuesday called on South Sudan’s government to withdraw its troops from the disputed Abyei region with Sudan, warning that their stay risked “inflame tensions” in the area.
“We are very concerned by the presence of South Sudanese security forces in southern Abyei since October 2022 and the deployment of additional South Sudan armed forces in late March and early April this year,” Lacroix said during a UN Security Council session.
When South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011, the status of Abyei remained on hold and Juba and Khartoum have since been unable to reach a deal to resolve their dispute over the oil-rich region, which is home to thousands of Blue Berets.
Abyei is often the scene of armed clashes between Sudanese and South Sudanese forces.
Speaking to the UN Security Council, Lacroix asserted that the presence of South Sudanese army units in the area “violated” the 2011 agreement that stipulated that Abyei would be a demilitarized zone.
The UN official stressed that the presence of these forces in Abyei “raises fear and has led to multiple violations of the freedom of movement of the United Nations Interim Force in Abyei (UNIFIL), which limits the ability of the United Nations mission to carry out its mission of protecting civilians.”
“If no action is taken, the presence of South Sudanese army units in Abyei could inflame tensions in a region already facing deep political divisions.”
The UN peacekeeping commander called on “the government of South Sudan to withdraw all its forces from Abyei as soon as possible.”
