Secretary-General condemns incidents in Abyei, Sudan
November 14, 2012: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemns the series of incidents
that occurred in Abyei, Sudan beginning this week, resulting in the death of a United
Nations national staff member and the injury of another, according to his spokesperson.
“The
Secretary-General remains extremely concerned that the Abyei Area joint institutions,
including the Police, have not yet been established and urges the parties to quickly
address the issue,” the spokesperson added in a note to the media. “He urges the Abyei
communities to return to calm and resolve their disputes through dialogue.”
The
final status of Abyei, a disputed region straddling the border between Sudan and South
Sudan, has yet to be determined – it is one of the outstanding issues of the so-called
Comprehensive Peace Agreement which helped bring an end to the conflict between Sudan
and South Sudan, before the latter's independence last year.
Previously, the
Secretary-General has called on both parties to peacefully work towards resolving
the matter, amongst other unresolved issues. In the note to the media, Mr. Ban's spokesperson
also said the UN chief expresses his sincere condolences to the bereaved family of
the deceased staff member. The world body currently has a peacekeeping mission in
the area – the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) – which is charged with
overseeing the demilitarization of the area and maintaining security.