New mandate for ‘Blue Berets’in Abyei

The mandate of the peacekeeping force for Abyei has been extended by six months. It signals the Security Council’s resolve to pacify an area contested by South Sudan and Sudan, until the two countries finalise the establishment of an administration for the oilrich region in line with an agreement signed last year. This implies that the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), which was established in June last year following an outbreak of violence after Sudanese troops took control of Abyei will remain in place.Tens of thousands of people were displaced in the weeks before South Sudan became an independent State after seceding from Sudan. It is also a sign of the international community’s confidence in the role the ‘Blue Berets’, as the UN peacekeepers are commonly known, in maintaining peace in a region that at the heart of the hostilities between Juba and Khartoum. UNISFA has 4200 military personnel, which includes a highly regarded contingent from Rwanda; 50 policemen and civilian support. Other countries which have contributed troops are Ethiopia, Russian Federation and Tunisia.New resolutionIn the new resolution issued yesterday, the Council also welcomed the withdrawal of South Sudanese military and police personnel from Abyei – as called for by the UN body – and demanded that the Government of Sudan also redeploy all remaining military and police personnel from Abyei immediately and without preconditions. Members of the Council reiterated that “the Abyei Area shall be demilitarised from any forces other than UNISFA and the Abyei Police Service.” They urged Sudan and South Sudan to make regular use of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee to ensure steady progress on the implementation of the 20 June 2011 agreement. The pact, signed in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, provides for temporary administrative arrangements for Abyei and the withdrawal of troops by both sides. The Council reiterated that “Sudan and South Sudan shall unconditionally withdraw all of their armed forces to their side of the border in accordance with previously adopted Agreements, and activate the necessary border security mechanisms, namely the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism and the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone.” It expressed its intention to review UNISFA’s mandate after four months for possible reconfiguration, in light of compliance by Sudan and South Sudan with the decisions set forth in an earlier resolution and their commitments to last June’s agreement. The Council urged all Member States, particularly Sudan and South Sudan, to ensure the free, unhindered and expeditious movement to and from Abyei, and throughout the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone of all personnel, as well as equipment, provisions, supplies and other goods, including vehicles, aircraft, and spare parts, intended for the exclusive and official use of UNISFA. It also demanded that the governments of Sudan and South Sudan facilitate the deployment of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), as well as the identification and clearance of mines in Abyei. “All parties must also provide humanitarian personnel with full, safe and unhindered access to civilians in need of assistance in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the Council said.The UNISFA is one of the few UN peacekeeping missions where the ‘Blue Berets’ are authorised to “use force to protect civilians and humanitarian workers in Abyei”. But it has come under scathing criticism for its inaction during the outbreak of violence. General Babacar Gaye, the UN peacekeeping department’s top military adviser, found that “we could have and should have had more visibility to deter any violence against civilians,” a spokesman said.

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New mandate for ‘Blue Berets’in Abyei