What do we know about UN Resolution 2469 (2019) and The Final Status of Abyei?

By Luka Kuol

With much-appreciated efforts of our South Sudan Mission in New York, the leading role played by the US Mission in New York in drafting the resolution and building consensus among 15 members of the UNSC , the successful diplomatic shuttling of Dr Francis in New York including the delivery of the much-appreciated letter of President Salva Kiir to the UN Secretary-General on the final status Abyei, the UN Security Council has unanimously adopted on 14 May 2019 Resolution 2469 with the following key decisions:

1. Extending the mandate of UNISFA to 15th Nov 2019 with reduced authorized troop ceiling to 3550 and increased authorized police ceiling to 640.
2. Requesting UN Secretary-General to appoint a civilian Deputy of Mission of UNISFA. This is a big decision as one of the briefs of the Deputy Mission is stabilization programs.
3. Inviting the AUHIP headed by President Mbeki and UN Secretary General Special Envoy to report to UNSC by 15 October on:
(i) Steps taken towards the resolution of the final status of Abyei including the 2012 Proposal made by the AUHIP of President Mbeki noting the various decisions made by AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) adopting the AUHIP proposal as the only African solution for the final status of Abyei. This is the first time the UNSC to come out explicitly about mechanisms for resolving the final status of Abyei.
(ii) Steps the AU Commission has taken to submit to AUPSC the findings and recommendations of Abyei Area Joint Investigation and Inquiry Committee on the assassination of the NGok Dinka Paramount Chief Kuol Deng and Peacekeeper.
4. Recognizes the absence of development projects in the area and calls upon the governments of South Sudan and Sudan as well as the donors to support roads maintenance, general reconstruction and capacity building and welcomes the call in the UN Secretary-General’s letter (S/2018/778) for development projects in the area.

With these timely UN resolutions, the people Abyei have every reason to remember in a good way their Paramount Chief Kuol Adol and to celebrate the May 16. Again our profound appreciation to the efforts of President Salva, Dr Francis Deng, US Mission in New York and all members of our mission in New York for the well-done job.

The author is a Global Fellow at Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Juba and Fellow at Rift Valley Institute.