UN Security Council renews mandate of peacekeeping force in Abyei

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Thursday renewed the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Abyei, a territory contested by Sudan and South Sudan, by six months, till May 15, 2021.

Resolution 2550, which won the unanimous support of the 15 members of the Council, also decides to extend the peacekeeping mission's mandate modification till May 15, 2021.

The Security Council first modified the mandate of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in December 2011 to add tasks of supporting a Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism of Sudan and South Sudan, which gained independence from the former in July 2011.

The resolution decides that UNISFA should maintain the authorized troop ceiling at 3,550, until May 15, 2021.

The resolution decides to maintain the authorized police ceiling at 640 police personnel, including 148 individual police officers and three formed police units.

It encourages the government of Sudan and the government of South Sudan to continue to facilitate the deployment of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) to ensure freedom of movement.

The resolution strongly urges that all parties cease all forms of violence, human rights violations and abuses, violations of international humanitarian law, and violations of other international law, as applicable, committed against civilians, including women and children, and bring perpetrators of such abuses or violations to justice.

UNISFA was set up by the Security Council in June 2011 after a flare-up shortly before South Sudan's independence. Enditem