UN urges Sudan and South Sudan to resolve Abyei deadlock

UNITED NATIONS (AP) " The U.N. Security Council urged Sudan and South Sudan on Thursday to immediately resolve a deadlock over the disputed oil-rich Abyei area which both countries claim and establish a joint administration and police force.

The council made the appeal in a resolution adopted unanimously that extends the mandate of the more than 4,000-strong peacekeeping force in Abyei until July 15.

The status of Abyei was unresolved after South Sudan became independent from its northern neighbor in July 2011. A referendum on its future was supposed to be held before independence, but the two sides have still been unable to agree on terms.

The region's majority Ngok Dinka people are believed to be in favor of joining South Sudan. The Khartoum government insists that the Sudan-allied Misseriya nomads, who come to Abyei to find pasture for their cattle and spend up to six months there, should be eligible to vote.

The council reaffirmed that Abyei's future status must be resolved by negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan "and not by unilateral action" by either country.

It expressed concern at "the fragility of the security situation" in the Abeyi area, "the minimum attention" both countries have given to managing the disputed region, and the stalled efforts to demilitarize the border zone, which has been a flashpoint.

The council also expressed deep concern at the vacuum in public administration and rule of law in the Abyei area and demanded that Sudan and South Sudan urgently resolve a deadlock over the composition of a council to administer the region and establish a police service to provide law and order and protect oil infrastructure.

It condemned the presence of armed Sudanese oil police personnel in the Diffra oil complex, in violation of a 2011 agreement, and demanded that the Khartoum government immediately redeploy the officers and ensure that Abyei is demilitarized.

Sudan's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Hassan Hamid Hassan told the council that "the shortest way in order to tackle the situation in Abyei should start by having ... an effective administration and police force."

"There is no alternative but dialogue to tackle the situation," he said. "It is our commitment to overcome this stagnation. We are trying to create cooperation and peaceful co-existence environment in order to enable the two countries to tackle the situation in a sustainable and peaceful way."

South Sudan's U.N. Ambassador Francis Deng stressed that the U.N. force, known as UNISFA, "is perhaps the most significant positive development for the people of the area in decades."

"The people of Abyei are suffering from a vacuum of state responsibility for their protection and service delivery," he said. "They continue to experience high levels of insecurity, with frequent killings, cattle looting and overall physical harassment."

While good will and implementation of agreements between Sudan and South Sudan to resolve the Abeyi crisis "is pivotal," Deng said, "the security of the area will ultimately rest on restoring the peaceful and cooperative relations between the Ngok Dinka and the Missiriya."