The UN Security Council (UNSC) strongly condemned the violence in Warrap State of South Sudan and in the Abyei Area, which has claimed dozens of lives since November. The UNSC said in a statement that its members strongly condemn the violence in Warrap State, South Sudan, and southern Abyei Administrative Area that has claimed approximately 75 lives in Nov. 2023 and 10 lives in Abyei in early Dec. 2023, adding that the members note with grave concern the continued presence of some forces as well as armed elements of the local communities in Abyei and reiterate that the Abyei Area be fully demilitarized without delay, recalling in this regard the 2011 Agreement and relevant Security Council resolutions. The statement added that the members of the UNSC echo the calls of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan Nicholas Haysom, to intervene in order to stop the bloodshed, stressing the need for the transitional government of South Sudan to investigate the killings and attacks on civilians in Warrap and the Abyei Area to contain the violence and defuse tension between the affected communities. He stressed that the UNSC members underscore the important role the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) should play in the protection of civilians, including refugees, and in supporting community dialogue and facilitating reconciliation, and with the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism in support of achieving peace, security and stability in Abyei and the broader region. Over the past six weeks, Warrap State and the Abyei Area have seen an escalation in violence, prompting thousands to flee to protect their lives, amid killings and looting of property.
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