Thank you, Madame President.
I also join others in thanking the briefers for their insightful overviews.
Estonia warmly welcomes the continued improvement of relations between Sudan and South Sudan. We commend the important role South Sudan played in facilitating the peace talks of Sudan, which led to the signing of Sudan Peace Agreement on 3. October. We recognize that the political transitions in both countries require much of the attention of the respective governments. However, we also urge the parties to use the momentum created by the historic peace agreement, to facilitate progress towards resolving the question of Abyei.
The Secretary-General said in his report that the status quo cannot continue, and we agree. The people of Abyei deserve better than status quo, as they continue to suffer from numerous episodes of violence; lack of access to basic state services; and dire socio-economic conditions. For anything to change on the ground, there is no substitute for a meaningful political process between the parties. Therefore, we welcome all the steps taken in this direction, and call on Sudan and South-Sudan to continue to build a viable political process, which will lead to the implementation of security and administrative arrangements that both can agree to. The political process could be significantly aided by the appointment of Civilian Deputy Head of Mission, and we call on all parties to help to make this a reality. We also encourage regional actors to actively engage the parties on the Abyei question.
We are concerned about the increased violence and criminality, including the recent trend of attacks on UN troops and contractors. Six months ago when speaking in the Council on the Abyei question, I articulated three specific asks: (1) to expedite the deployment of the Police component; (2) to conduct joint investigations into the deadly incidents of violence with the purpose of bringing the perpetrators to justice; and (3) to deploy human rights expertise to UNISFA. These asks remain as valid today, as they were 6 months ago.
Madame President,
Estonia supports the Secretary-General’s recommendation to extend the mandate of UNISFA for the next six months. Moving forward, we need to start the discussions of how the UN can be most helpful given the current realities.
To conclude, at the heart of our deliberations must be the fact that any delays resolving Abyei question will only continue to prolong the plight of Abyei people. Therefore, we call on the parties to capitalize on their improved relationship to push for progress on the question of Abyei. We also call for the removal of any impediments to the implementation of the mandate of UNISFA. Finally, I would like to express our gratitude to UNISFA and Ethiopia for their invaluable contributions.
Thank you!
