Extending Sudan Mission, Sec. Council Urges Peace

Extending Sudan mission, Security Council urges consolidation of North-South peace

The Security Council today voted to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) by six months, urging all parties to fully put into the practice the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ending a 21-year civil war between north and south Sudan.

In a resolution passed unanimously, the 15-member body underscored the "importance of full and expeditious implementation of all elements of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement."

UNMIS was established by the Council in 2005 to support the accord between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A).

Successfully implementing the CPA is key to resolving the crisis in Darfur and to consolidating sustainable peace and stability in the region, the Council noted.

To this end, it urged the full deployment in Darfur of the hybrid UN-African Union (AU) peacekeeping force, set to become the world's largest, as well as the protection of aid workers.

Today's resolution also lauded the work of UNMIS, and voiced concern over restrictions and impediments placed on the movements of its personnel and material.

Such obstacles have an "adverse impact" on UNMIS' activities and on the "ability of the humanitarian community to reach affected persons," according to the resolution.

The Council also called for the sides to take measures to defuse tensions in the disputed Abyei region and to allow UNMIS unrestricted access to conduct monitoring and verification exercises in the region.

ENDS

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