Briefing on the situation in Abyei

Briefing on the situation in AbyeiDate | 6 July 2026

On 8 July, the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) will receive an update on the Situation in Abyei.

The session will commence with an opening remark by Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Permanent Representative of Uganda to the AU and the Chairperson of the PSC for the month of July, followed by a statement from Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (CPAPS). Representatives of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the United Nations (UN) are also expected to deliver statements. As a concerned country, South Sudan will also make a statement through its representative. Considering that Sudan is suspended, it cannot participate in PSC meetings, but its views may be sought.

In March 2024, the PSC had scheduled an informal consultation and a briefing on the situation in Abyei on 12 March. This session, however, did not happen as planned. It later emerged that, in preparation for the session, the PSC sought to obtain Sudan’s views through an informal consultation, given that Sudan remains suspended from participating in AU activities. However, both the planned informal consultation and the scheduled PSC session were unable to proceed as intended due to Sudan’s refusal to engage. In response to the diplomatic note inviting its participation in the informal consultation, Sudan’s representative in Addis Ababa declined the invitation and submitted a letter requesting that the PSC refrain from proceeding with its planned engagement on Abyei. (See here) Sudan further called for the removal of the Abyei issue from the PSC meeting’s agenda, despite the fact that the PSC Protocol states under Article 8 that the inclusion of an agenda may not be opposed by a member state.

The ongoing war in Sudan and continued instability in South Sudan have significantly affected Abyei, contributing to the deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation in the disputed region. The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) has reported a sharp increase in security incidents over the past six months. Despite Abyei’s demilitarised status, the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and personnel from the South Sudan National Police Service continue to maintain a presence in the area, according to UNISFA. The mission has also reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), one of the parties to the conflict in Sudan, continue to operate in northern Abyei, particularly in Goli, Diffra, and Gibdud.

The overall security situation in Abyei reportedly continues to be exacerbated by intercommunal violence, the proliferation of illicit weapons, criminal activity, and the presence and activities of the RSF. In the absence of formal law enforcement in Abyei, community protection committees continue to assume policing responsibilities with support from UNISFA. In early March, an attack by unidentified armed youth on the county headquarters in Abiemnhom County, South Sudan, approximately eight kilometres from Abyei, resulted in significant civilian casualties and large-scale displacement, including the movement of displaced persons into Abyei.

On 13 December 2025, a drone attack struck the UN logistics base in Kadugli, South Kordofan State, Sudan, killing six peacekeepers and injuring nine others. The attack forced UNISFA to relocate its personnel and subsequently close all team sites, suspending its physical presence in the Safe Demilitarised Border Zone, the buffer zone agreed between Sudan and South Sudan to reduce cross-border tensions. In a 14 December 2025 press statement, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, strongly condemned the attack that killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers.

The annual Ngok Dinka and Misseriya seasonal pre-migration conference took place from 20-23 November in Noong, Abyei. During the conference, participants signed an agreement renewing their commitment to prevent conflict, safeguard livelihoods, and ensure the protection of civilians along migration corridors, while also pledging to strengthen trust between herders and farming communities. The two communities have had long-standing disputes over land ownership, access to water, and grazing areas, which often intensify during seasonal migration.

Meanwhile, efforts to resolve the final status of Abyei remain stalled. Preoccupied with their respective internal challenges, Sudan and South Sudan have struggled to engage in meaningful dialogue. Despite their commitment to reactivate the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) and the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC)—mandated to facilitate discussions on security issues and provide political and administrative oversight of Abyei, respectively—neither mechanism has convened.

On 14 November 2025, the Security Council adopted resolution 2802, renewing the mandate of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) for an additional year. The resolution was adopted with 12 votes in favour and three abstentions (China, Pakistan, and the Russian Federation). The resolution expressed the Council’s intention to base UNISFA’s future mandate renewal on demonstrable progress by Sudan and South Sudan against a set of benchmarks. These include the withdrawal of all unauthorised armed forces and armed elements from the Abyei Area and progress towards its full demilitarisation; the resumption and regular documentation of meetings of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM), the bilateral body responsible for addressing security issues of mutual concern; and the establishment of the Abyei Joint Security Police, including measurable progress in its recruitment, training, and deployment.

The United States, the penholder on the file, has adopted a more stringent approach to the mission, reflecting the broader policy of the current Trump administration to prioritise cost efficiency and effectiveness by assessing the performance of UN peace operations and determining their future, including through the use of benchmarks. At the Security Council meeting in May, the US representative stated, ‘We cannot want peace more than the parties themselves,’ while calling for the withdrawal of all unauthorised armed elements from Abyei and urging both Sudan and South Sudan to facilitate the deployment of UN Police and establish the Abyei Police Service.

However, the African members of the Security Council, as well as China and the Russian Federation, have opposed conditioning the renewal of UNISFA’s mandate on benchmarks. During the Council’s deliberations, they expressed concern that such an approach would tie the mission’s future to benchmarks largely beyond its control. They also stressed the importance of upholding the 2011 Agreement on Temporary Arrangements for the Administration and Security of the Abyei Area.

Following the Security Council’s decision in November, South Sudan requested that the AU include the issue of Abyei on the agenda of its Summit held on 14–15 February. However, the Summit’s final decision did not address the issue. Pursuant to resolution 2802, the Secretary-General is expected to submit, by the end of August, a report on the progress made by Sudan and South Sudan towards meeting the benchmarks set out in the resolution. The report is also expected to provide a comprehensive assessment of the security implications of any potential drawdown of the mission. Therefore, tomorrow’s PSC meeting will provide an opportunity for the AU to articulate its position on Abyei for the first time since October 2022, and to outline the way forward ahead of the report’s submission and UNISFA’s upcoming mandate renewal in November.

In his briefing to the Security Council in May, the UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Guang Cong, stated that his office continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to support preparations for renewed bilateral dialogue on Abyei. He noted that these efforts focus on encouraging both Sudan and South Sudan to make progress towards the benchmarks linked to UNISFA’s mandate renewal, while addressing the prevailing security dynamics that risk impeding political progress.

For its part, Sudan reaffirmed its commitment to the 2011 Agreement and expressed its readiness to meet the benchmarks established by the Security Council. Sudan also notified its decision to approve the deployment of the authorised police units and stressed that a sustainable solution to the Abyei issue can only be achieved through genuine dialogue and cooperation between the two countries.

South Sudan has maintained that the SSPDF were deployed to Abyei following the serious intercommunal violence of October 2022 to stabilise the situation, prevent further unrest, and protect civilian lives. While reaffirming its sovereign rights and responsibilities, including with respect to administrative facilitation in Abyei, South Sudan also maintained that sustainable peace will ultimately depend on the commitment of the two countries to dialogue, stability and coexistence.

The expected outcome of the session is a communique. The PSC may condemn the drone attack on UNISFA peacekeepers that claimed the lives of six peacekeepers and the increase in the frequency and impact of intercommunal conflicts in the region. The PSC may call on the RSF to withdraw from Abyei and cease all its activities affecting the stability of Abyei. It may express full support for the 2011 Agreement on Temporary Arrangements for the Administration and Security of the Abyei Area and urge the UNSC to extend all its support to prevent the changing security dynamics in the two countries not to derail the agreement. It may urge Sudan and South Sudan to reaffirm their commitment to the 2011 agreement and withdraw any of their forces from the demilitarised zone. The PSC may also call on the two states to extend full cooperation to UNISFA, including through facilitating the deployment of UN Police, and take concrete steps to establish the Abyei Police Service. The PSC may also underscore the need for the reactivation and convening of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) and the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC). To this end, it may call on the AU, working along with IGAD and the UN Envoy for the Horn of Africa, to facilitate support to the two countries to enable them to convene these key mechanisms. The PSC may reaffirm the growing importance of UNISFA’s role in view of the changing dynamics affecting Abyei and encourage the UN Security Council to extend UNISFA’s mandate and its support to the JBVMM. It may commend the efforts of UNISFA to protect those affected by recent conflicts, including through the provision of shelter to the displaced, and encourage the mission to expedite the humanitarian response and call for other humanitarian providers to scale up their contribution for humanitarian assistance to the region.