UN peacekeeping chief says Abyei mission delivering 'tangible results' in disputed Sudan, South Sudan border region

(Anadolu Ajansı © 2026)

The UN's top peace operations official told the Security Council on Thursday that security incidents in the disputed Abyei region fell 32% compared with the same period last year, warning that the situation remains "fragile."

"During the reporting period, recorded security incidents declined by approximately 32% compared to the same period in 2025," Jean-Pierre Lacroix, under-secretary-general for peace operations, said in a briefing on the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), covering April 16 to Oct. 1.

"My principal message to the Council today is straightforward: UNISFA is delivering tangible results and the benchmarks are generating measurable progress," he said.

Lacroix warned, however, that "the environment in which the mission operates is becoming more complex, not less. Therefore, UNISFA needs the Council’s support now more than ever."

He described the preservation of general stability despite a challenging regional environment as the most significant achievement of the reporting period.

UNISFA "maintained proactive deployments across all sectors, sustained freedom of movement, supported local dialogue mechanisms, facilitated seasonal migration arrangements and strengthened community-based protection structures," according to Lacroix.

Cautioning that the achievements "should not obscure the challenges that remain," he added: "The security situation remains fragile."

Lacroix said the reporting period "demonstrates that UNISFA continues to have a stabilizing effect and remains an indispensable security and political actor in Abyei."

"Progress has been achieved. But it remains fragile," he said.

"The challenge before us is not simply to sustain stability, but to ensure that UNISFA remains fit for purpose in an increasingly complex and fluid regional environment," he said.

Stressing the need to equip peacekeepers, he said that ensuring they have "the tools, capacities and protection required to operate safely is essential to the effective implementation of the mission’s mandate."

Also briefing the Council, Guang Cong, the UN secretary-general's special envoy for the Horn of Africa, said that "the conflict in Sudan continues to adversely affect political, security, economic and humanitarian relations between Sudan and South Sudan."

"The foremost challenge in Abyei today extends beyond local tensions," said Cong.

He said the major challenge is safeguarding the recently revitalized dialogue between Sudan and South Sudan "from the conflict in Sudan and political pressures in South Sudan, as this process remains indispensable to preserving stability and advancing a political resolution to determine Abyei’s final status."

Source: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/un-peacekeeping-chief-says-abyei-mission-delivering-tangible-results-in-disputed-sudan-south-sudan-border-region/4113294