UN reports a 32% decrease in incidents in the disputed Abyei area

Fewer incidents, but 'fragile' stability

At a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, reported that during the reporting period from 16 April to 1 October, the number of recorded security incidents in the disputed Abyei area on the border between Sudan and South Sudan fell by approximately 32% compared with the same period in 2025. 'My main message to the Council today is simple: UNISFA is delivering tangible results, and the benchmarks show measurable progress,' he said of the UNISFA mission. According to him, the main achievement of the period was the preservation of overall stability against the backdrop of a difficult regional situation: the mission carried out active deployment across all sectors, supported freedom of movement, local dialogue mechanisms, seasonal migration arrangements and community-based protection structures.

Warnings about the complexity of the situation and the pressure of the conflict in Sudan

At the same time, Lacroix warned that the achievements 'must not overshadow the persisting challenges': 'The security situation remains fragile.' He noted that the environment in which the mission operates 'is becoming increasingly complex, not less,' and called on the Council to provide peacekeepers with the 'tools, capabilities and protection' needed to carry out the mandate. The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Guang Cong, also addressed the Council. He stated that 'the conflict in Sudan continues to negatively affect the political, security, economic and humanitarian relations between Sudan and South Sudan,' and identified as the main task the protection of the recently revived dialogue between the two countries from the conflict in Sudan and political pressure in South Sudan — a process that, in his words, is essential for preserving stability and for a political settlement of the final status of Abyei.