UN Peace Chief Commits to Increased Assistance for Abyei as Part of Efforts to Resolve the Area’s Final Status and Achieve Lasting Peace in the Region

At the end of his two-day visit to Abyei, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations (USG), Jean-Pierre Lacroix, reiterated the United Nation’s commitment to resolving the final status of Abyei through continued work with stakeholders including the governments of Sudan and South Sudan. The USG was accompanied by the UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Ms. Hanna Serwaa Tetteh.

“Determining the final status of Abyei is the ultimate solution to achieving lasting insecurity, and it is therefore critically important to support current discussions. We want to step up and increase support to the people of Abyei and we will work closely with our colleagues in the UN Funds and Agencies so that we can achieve that,” said USG Lacroix.

Ms. Hannah Tetteh emphasized the significance of the visit to Abyei: “This visit has been an eye-opener both at the level of suffering and the deprivation across the entirety of Abyei. The challenge that the UN faces in Abyei is not only in providing peace and security, but in providing humanitarian assistance. We encourage everyone to work with the local communities for sustainability.”

Highlighting the importance of interactions with the local communities, Ms. Tetteh added, “It was a good opportunity to hear from the communities themselves, to learn what they consider to be the key priorities, and at the same time we must continue to work with everyone of goodwill towards peace so that, ultimately, the communities here can coexist.”

Over the course of their visit, USG Lacroix and Special Envoy Ms. Tetteh met with several interlocutors, including local administrators in both northern and southern Abyei, representatives of youth and women’s groups, Community Protection Committees as well as UN Agencies, Programmes and Funds. The delegation also heard the stories of some of the region’s Internally Displaced People and spoke with those serving as UNISFA peacekeepers.

The delegation’s visit comes at a critical time, as communities in Abyei are experiencing heightened insecurity and dire flooding which have displaced thousands of people throughout the region. In their meetings with local administrators, they discussed the security situation in the Southern part of Abyei particularly, which has witnessed an escalation in violence since fighting broke out between the Twic and Ngok Dinka communities in recent months.

Reflecting on discussions about how to mitigate the impact of flooding on the local population, Jean-Pierre Lacroix said, “The floods have also impacted the work of UNISFA, whose activities and personnel have been limited from acting swiftly to implement their protection of civilians.” As an important part of this visit, Lacroix said, “We discussed ways in which the personnel can respond more efficiently and implement the protection of civilians more effectively.”