Security Council resolution 2126 (2013) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) until 31 May 2014]
Symbol: S/RES/2126 (2013)
Date: 2013-11-25
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/68 [217] UN INTERIM SECURITY FORCE FOR ABYEI
S/68 [223] SOUTH SUDAN--POLITICAL CONDITIONS
S/68 [160] SUDAN--POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Subjects: UN Interim Security Force for Abyei|Joint Border Verification Monitoring Mechanism (Sudan and South Sudan)|Abyei Joint Oversight Committee|African Union. High Level Implementation Panel for Sudan|Charter of the United Nations (1945). Chapter VII|INTERNAL SECURITY|ABYEI (SUDAN)|SUDAN|BOUNDARIES|SOUTH SUDAN|DEMILITARIZED ZONES|NEGOTIATION|HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICTS
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: ARGENTINA
vote: yes
country: AUSTRALIA
vote: yes
country: AZERBAIJAN
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: GUATEMALA
vote: yes
country: LUXEMBOURG
vote: yes
country: MOROCCO
vote: yes
country: PAKISTAN
vote: yes
country: REPUBLIC OF KOREA
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: RWANDA
vote: yes
country: TOGO
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes

                United Nations                                                                   S/RES/2126 (2013)*
                Security Council                                                  Distr.: General
                                                                                  25 November 2013




                Resolution 2126 (2013)
                Adopted by the Security Council at its 7067th meeting, on
                25 November 2013

                     The Security Council,
                      Recalling its previous resolutions and its presidential statements on the
                situation in Sudan and South Sudan, and in particular, resolutions 1990 (2011), 2024
                (2011), 2032 (2011), 2046 (2012), 2047 (2012), 2075 (2012), 2104 (2013), as well
                as presidential statements S/PRST/2012/19 and S/PRST/2013/14, and the Council’s
                press statements of 18 June 2012, 21 September 2012, 28 September 2012, 6 May
                2013 and 14 June 2013,
                      Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity,
                and territorial integrity of Sudan and South Sudan, and to the purposes and the
                principles of the United Nations Charter, and recalling the importance of the
                principles of good neighbourliness, non-interference and regional cooperation,
                     Reiterating that the territorial boundaries of states shall not be altered by force,
                and that any territorial disputes shall be settled exclusively by peaceful means,
                      Affirming the priority it attaches to the full and urgent implementation of all
                outstanding issues from the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA),
                     Reaffirming its previous resolutions 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1674 (2006),
                1738 (2006) and 1894 (2009) on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, 1612
                (2005), 1882 (2009), 1998 (2011), and 2068 (2012) on children and armed conflict,
                1502 (2003) on the protection of humanitarian and United Nations personnel, and
                1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), and 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010) and 2122
                (2013) on women peace and security,
                     Recalling the commitments made by the Government of Sudan and the
                Government of South Sudan in the 20 June 2011 Agreement between the
                Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement on Temporary
                Arrangements for the Administration and Security of the Abyei Area, the 29 June
                2011 Agreement between the Government of the Sudan and the Government of
                Southern Sudan on Border Security and the Joint Political and Security Mechanism
                (JPSM), and the 30 July 2011 Agreement on the Border Monitoring Support Mission
                between the Government of Sudan and the Government of South Sudan, as well as

            * Reissued for technical reasons on 6 December 2013.


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               the 27 September 2012 Agreements on Cooperation and Security Arrangements, the
               JPSM’s 8 March decision, and the Implementation Matrix of 12 March 2013,
               reached by the Government of Sudan and the Government of South Sudan in Addis
               Ababa under the auspices of the African Union High-level Implementation Panel
               (AUHIP),
                    Emphasizing the importance of the full participation of women in the
               implementation of agreements and in the prevention and resolution of conflict and
               peacebuilding more broadly,
                     Expressing its full support for the efforts of the African Union on the situation
               between the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan, in order to ease
               the current tension, facilitate the resumption of negotiations on post-secession
               relations and the normalization of their relations, recalling in this regard the AU
               Peace and Security Council Communiqués of 24 April 2012, 24 October 2012,
               25 January 2013, 7 May 2013, 29 July 2013, 23 September 2013 and 26 October
               2013, and Press Statement of 6 November, and the Statement from the Chairperson
               of the AU on 28 October 2013,
                    Welcoming the 5-6 November AUPSC visit to Abyei, and its continued
               engagement in seeking a lasting solution so that the communities in Abyei can
               coexist peacefully, commending the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan, and
               UNISFA for facilitating the visit, strongly regretting the November 5 violent
               demonstration and attempted forced entry by some Ngok Dinka at UNISFA’s
               headquarters, and welcoming the peaceful resolution to the protest through a
               meeting with the AUPSC delegation,
                    Welcoming the efforts by the Government of Sudan and the Government of
               South Sudan to demilitarize the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ), including
               the “14 Mile Area”, and to implement the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring
               Mechanism (JBVMM), in accordance with Council resolution 2046 and the AU
               Peace and Security Council Roadmap of 24 April 2012,
                    Underlining the importance of establishing and maintaining effective JBVMM
               monitoring of the SDBZ, including the “14 Mile Area”,
                    Stressing that both countries will have much to gain if they show restraint and
               choose the path of dialogue instead of resorting to violence or provocations,
                     Welcoming the importance of recent meetings of President Bashir and
               President Kiir in continuing dialogue, recalling the UNSC decision in resolution
               2046 that the parties must resume immediately negotiations to reach agreement on
               Abyei final status under the auspices of the AUHIP, calling upon all parties to
               engage constructively in the process mediated by the AUHIP towards final
               agreement on the final status of Abyei Area, and stressing that the parties must
               immediately implement pending aspects of the 20 June 2011 Agreement, in
               particular to resolve the dispute over the Abyei Area Council and immediately
               establish the Abyei Area Administration and Abyei Police Service,
                    Commending the continued assistance provided to the parties by the AUHIP,
               including its Chairman President Thabo Mbeki, former Presidents Abdulsalami
               Abubakar and Pierre Buyoya, the Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Authority
               on Development, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, the Special
               Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan and South Sudan, Haile Menkerios, and



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           the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) under the leadership
           of Lieutenant General Yohannes Tesfamariam,
                Commending the efforts of UNISFA in carrying out its mandate, including by
           its ongoing facilitation of peaceful migration throughout the Abyei Area and
           expressing its deep appreciation for the work of the troop contributing countries,
                Encouraged by the improvements in security and stability in Abyei Area since
           the deployment of UNISFA, and determined to prevent the recurrence of violence
           against or displacements of civilians and to avert intercommunal conflict,
                Expressing its determination that the future status of Abyei shall be resolved
           by negotiations between the parties in a manner consistent with the CPA and not by
           the unilateral actions of either party,
                 Deeply concerned by the public administration and rule of law vacuum in the
           Abyei Area, due to continued delays in the establishment of the Abyei Area
           Administration, Council and Police, including a special unit to deal with particular
           issues related to nomadic migration, which are essential to maintain law and order
           and prevent intercommunal conflict in Abyei,
                Noting with concern the continued threat of intercommunal violence in the
           Abyei Area, including the ongoing tensions that prevent UNISFA’s and other
           agencies’ Sudanese staff from returning to Abyei,
                 Noting that the continued delay in establishing the temporary institutions and
           resolving the final status of Abyei contributes to tension in the region, emphasizing
           the importance of all parties refraining from any unilateral action to aggravate
           intercommunal relations within Abyei Area, and expressing concern over what the
           AUPSC described in their November 6 press statement as “the decision by the Ngok
           Dinka to conduct a unilateral referendum”, in contravention of the agreements
           signed between the two sides, and despite the calls for restraint from the
           international community, including the United Nations Security Council, AU Peace
           and Security Council and Governments of Sudan and South Sudan,
                 Bearing in mind the importance of coherence of United Nations assistance in
           the region,
                Welcoming and encouraging efforts by the United Nations to sensitize
           peacekeeping personnel in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and other
           communicable diseases in all of its peacekeeping operations,
                 Stressing the need for effective human rights monitoring, including of any
           sexual and gender-based violence and violations and abuses committed against
           children, taking note that there have been no developments with regard to the
           operationalization of human rights monitoring in the Abyei Area, and reiterating its
           concern at the lack of cooperation by the parties with the Secretary-General to this
           end,
                  Stressing the urgency of facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance to
           all affected communities in the Abyei Area,
                 Affirming the importance of voluntary, safe, orderly return and sustainable
           reintegration of displaced persons, and of peaceful and orderly migration cycles
           respecting the traditional migratory routes from Sudan to South Sudan through



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               Abyei, and urging UNISFA to take measures as necessary to ensure security in the
               Abyei Area in accordance with its mandate,
                     Recognizing the deleterious impact of the proliferation of arms, on the security
               of civilians,
                    Concerned with the residual threat of landmines and explosive remnants of
               war in the Abyei Area, which hinders the safe return of displaced persons to their
               homes and safe migration,
                    Recognizing that the current situation in Abyei and along the border between
               the Sudan and South Sudan continues to constitute a serious threat to international
               peace and security,
                     Welcoming the steps taken by UNISFA towards the effective implementation of
               its mandate, including, inter alia, through conflict prevention, mediation and
               deterrence,
                     1.    Decides to extend until 31 May 2014 the mandate of the United Nations
               Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) as set out in paragraph 2 of resolution
               1990 (2011) and modified by resolution 2024 (2011) and paragraph 1 of resolution
               2075 (2012), and acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,
               further decides to extend until 31 May 2014 the mandate of UNISFA as set out in
               paragraph 3 of resolution 1990, and determines that for the purposes of paragraph 1
               of resolution 2024 (2011), support to the operational activities of the JBVMM shall
               include support to the Ad Hoc Committees, as appropriate when so requested by
               consensual decisions of these mechanisms, within UNISFA’s operational area and
               existing capabilities;
                     2.    Takes note of the deployment in October of the initial group of 117 troops
               authorized by resolution 2104 (2013) and urges deployment of the remaining
               authorized forces as soon as possible to enable UNISFA to provide required force
               protection to the JBVMM and to enable UNISFA to fully support the JBVMM to
               conduct extended operations into the SDBZ as soon as possible, and requests the
               Secretary-General to keep the Council fully updated on the status of deployment as
               part of his regular reporting cycle;
                     3.  Welcomes the continued and effective efforts to fully operationalize the
               JBVMM, and calls on the Government of Sudan and the Government of South
               Sudan to make timely and effective use of the JBVMM, JPSM, and other agreed
               joint mechanisms to ensure the security and transparency of the SDBZ, including
               the “14 Mile Area”;
                     4.    Welcomes also the creation of the AU Border Programme Technical Team
               (AUBP TT) to determine conclusively the SDBZ centreline on the ground, and
               reiterates that the centreline of the SDBZ in no way prejudices the current or future
               legal status of the border, ongoing negotiations on the disputed and claimed areas,
               and demarcation of the borders, welcoming further both Governments’ commitments
               to accept the AUBP TT’s findings;
                    5.    Underscores that UNISFA’s protection of civilians mandate as set out in
               paragraph 3 of resolution 1990 (2011) includes taking the necessary actions to
               protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence, irrespective of the
               source of such violence;



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                 6.    Welcomes the redeployment of Sudanese military and South Sudanese
           military and police personnel from the Abyei Area in compliance with resolution
           2046, and reiterates its demand that the Government of Sudan redeploy the Oil
           Police in Diffra from the Abyei Area immediately and without preconditions, and
           further reiterates, in accordance with relevant resolutions, in particular resolution
           1990 and resolution 2046, that the Abyei Area shall be demilitarized from any
           forces, as well as armed elements of the local communities, other than UNISFA and
           the Abyei Police Service;
                 7.   Reiterates its demand that Sudan and South Sudan urgently commence
           the establishment of the Abyei Area Administration and Council, including by
           resolving the deadlock over the composition of the Council, and constitute the
           Abyei Police Service, to enable it to take over policing functions throughout the
           Abyei Area, including the protection of oil infrastructure, in accordance with their
           commitments in the 20 June 2011 Agreement;
                8.  Urges Sudan and South Sudan to immediately resume the work of the
           Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) to ensure steady progress on the
           implementation of the 20 June 2011 Agreement, including the implementation of the
           AJOC decisions;
                 9.   Supports the AJOC’s May 3 decision on Abyei’s status as a weapons-free
           area, underscores the AU Peace and Security Council’s concern in its 7 May 2013
           Communiqué over reports that various communities living in Abyei are heavily
           armed, recalls that the 20 June 2011 Agreement on Temporary Arrangements for the
           Administration and Security of the Abyei Area stipulates that Abyei should be a
           weapons-free area and that only UNISFA is authorized to carry weapons inside the
           area, and likewise urges the two Governments to take all necessary steps to ensure
           that Abyei is effectively demilitarized, including through disarmament programmes
           as necessary;
                 10. Requests that UNISFA, consistent with its mandate and within its
           existing capabilities, observe, document and report on the movement of weapons
           into Abyei and the presence of weapons within Abyei as part of the Secretary-Generals’ regular reporting cycle;
                11. Urges the two Governments immediately to take steps to implement
           confidence-building measures among the respective communities in Abyei Area,
           including through reconciliation processes at the grassroots level, and strongly urges
           all Abyei communities to exercise maximum restraint in all their engagements and
           to desist from inflammatory acts or statements that may lead to violent clashes, or
           any further unilateral activities;
                 12. Requests UNISFA to continue its dialogue with the AJOC and with the
           Misseriya and Ngok Dinka communities on effective strategies and oversight
           mechanisms for ensuring full compliance by all relevant parties with Abyei’s status
           as a weapons-free area, with a particular priority placed on the urgent elimination of
           heavy or crew-served weapons, as well as rocket-propelled grenades, and calls upon
           the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan, the AJOC, and the Misseriya and Ngok
           Dinka communities to extend full cooperation to UNISFA in this regard;
                13. Calls upon all parties to cooperate fully with the findings and
           recommendations following the Abyei Area Joint Investigation and Inquiry



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               Committee’s (AAJIIC’s) investigation into the killing of a UNISFA peacekeeper and
               the Ngok Dinka paramount chief;
                     14. Expresses its intention to review as appropriate the mandate of UNISFA
               for possible reconfiguration of the mission in light of the compliance by Sudan and
               South Sudan with the decisions set forth in resolution 2046 and their commitments
               as set forth in the Agreements of 20 June, 29 June, 30 July 2011 and 27 September
               2012, including the redeployment of all forces from the SDBZ, achieving full
               operational capability for the JVBMM, and the Ad Hoc Committees, as well as
               completing the full demilitarization of the Abyei Area;
                     15. Takes note of the Secretary-General’s review of UNISFA’s configuration
               in accordance with resolution 2104, and the assessment of the relevant risks and
               threats, and the force posture and troop ceiling required for implementation of its
               mandate;
                    16. Calls upon all Member States, in particular Sudan and South Sudan, to
               ensure the free, unhindered and expeditious movement to and from Abyei and
               throughout the SDBZ of all personnel, as well as equipment, provisions, supplies
               and other goods, including vehicles, aircraft, and spare parts, which are for the
               exclusive and official use of UNISFA;
                     17. Renews its call on Sudan and South Sudan to provide full support to the
               United Nations, including by promptly issuing visas to military, police and civilian
               United Nations personnel, including humanitarian personnel, without prejudice to
               their nationality, facilitating basing arrangements and flight clearances, and
               providing logistical support, and calls on all parties to fully adhere to their
               obligations under the Status of Forces Agreements;
                     18. Recognizes the absence of critical infrastructure projects affecting
               UNISFA peacekeeping personnel, notes the action being taken to address this
               situation, and urges the Secretary-General to continue to take the measures available
               to him to remediate this situation and better enable UNISFA to implement its
               mandate;
                     19. Demands that the Government of Sudan and the Government of South
               Sudan continue to facilitate the deployment of the United Nations Mine Action
               Service to ensure JBVMM freedom of movement as well as the identification and
               clearance of mines in the Abyei Area and SDBZ;
                      20. Demands that all parties involved provide humanitarian personnel with
               full, safe and unhindered access to civilians in need of assistance and all necessary
               facilities for their operations, in accordance with international law, including
               applicable international humanitarian law, and United Nations guiding principles of
               humanitarian assistance;
                     21. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that effective human rights
               monitoring is carried out, and the results included in his reports to the Council, and
               reiterates its call upon the Government of Sudan and the Government of South
               Sudan to extend their full cooperation to the Secretary-General to this end, including
               by issuing visas to the concerned United Nations personnel;
                     22. Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to ensure
               full compliance of UNISFA with the United Nations zero tolerance policy on sexual



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           exploitation and abuses and to keep the Council informed if cases of such conduct
           occur;
                 23. Stresses that continued cooperation between the Government of Sudan
           and Government of South Sudan is also critical for peace, security and stability and
           the future relations between them;
                 24. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to inform the Council of
           progress in implementing UNISFA’s mandate in 90-day intervals, and continue to
           bring to the Council’s immediate attention any serious violations of the above
           referenced agreements;
                25. Notes the Secretary-General’s efforts to ensure close cooperation among
           United Nations missions in the region, including UNISFA, the United Nations
           Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), and the African Union-United
           Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), as well as his Special Envoy for
           Sudan and South Sudan, and requests him to continue this practice;
                26.   Decides to remain actively seized of this matter.




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