Vietnam highlights significance of UN security force’s presence in Abyei

Vietnam has underlined the significance of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA)’s continuous presence in Abyei to maintain stability in the area and support the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM).

Abyei, located in the border between Sudan and South Sudan, has seen conflicts seen 2011

Addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)'s discussion on Abyei on October 13, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations Ambassador Pham Hai Anh expressed concern about difficulties facing UNISFA currently.

He stressed the need to ensure security and safety for UN staff, and called on the governments of relevant states to abide by commitments stated in the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with UNISFA and create favourable conditions for the force to fully perform its tasks.

The Vietnamese representative lauded efforts by UNISFA, the UN Secretariat and the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa in promoting dialogue with relevant parties to deal with challenges facing UNISFA.

Sudan and South Sudan signed an agreement on the disputed Abyei region on June 20, 2011 under which they pledged to withdraw troops from the demilitarised zone. However, they haven’t obtained much substantive progress in the implementation of the agreement.

UNISFA, set up on June 27, 2011 under UNSC Resolution 1990, was tasked with protecting civilians and promoting the demilitarisation in Abyei. It was supplemented with the duty of supporting the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM) in this region under Resolution 2024 on December 14, 2011./.

VNA