UN postpones deploying additional peacekeepers in disputed Abyei region due to fighting in Sudan

UNITED NATIONS

The UN said Tuesday that fighting in Sudan has disrupted the deployment of additional peacekeepers in the disputed Abyei region, claimed by Sudan and South Sudan.

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee told the Security Council that the outbreak of violence in Sudan may deeply affect the chance for political progress on Abyei and border issues.

''The fighting in Sudan has disrupted deployment routes, meaning that the arrival of additional personnel and equipment will need to be postponed, affecting force capacity,'' said Pobee.

Oil-rich Abyei has been a disputed area between the north and the south since South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011.

The UN deployed the UNISFA peacekeeping mission to the region in 2011.

South Sudan deployed troops in March to the contested region – a move that was condemned by the UN peacekeeping mission.