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<p>The UK commends the vital role that the United Nations Interim Security Force for
Abyei (UNISFA) plays in the protection of civilians and assisting to bring stability
to the region. However, we remain concerned that a final agreement on the situation
in Abyei has not been reached and by ongoing impediments which prevent UN peacekeepers
from fully implementing their mandate. The UN Security Council made clear in a press
statement of 29 January that the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan must provide
their full support to UNISFA, including by removing any obstacles that hinder UNIFSA’s
work to protect civilians.</p><p>We are also concerned by increasing intercommunal
tensions and by the attack on Kolom in Abyei on Wednesday 22 January. We offer sympathies
to all those affected. We welcome the commitment of the Governments of Sudan and South
Sudan to de-escalate tensions and jointly investigate and urge any investigation to
be conducted swiftly and transparently. Our Minister of State for the Commonwealth,
UN and South Asia reinforced this message with the Sudanese Ambassador on 28 January.
We will also raise in New York the reports of UN peacekeepers’ failure to act in order
to establish the facts of this tragic incident.</p>
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