The United Nations Security Council has extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Abyei, a contested region bordering Sudan and South Sudan, until May 2017.
The resolution to extend the mission was unanimously adopted by the 15-member council, which reiterated that the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) shall take the necessary actions to protect civilians under threat of physical violence.
The UNISFA mission was created in June 2011 by a Security Council resolution in response to concerns about violence, escalating tensions and forced population displacement in the weeks before South Sudan gained independent from Sudan.
According to a report by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the situation of Abyei, the security situation in the area remained unpredictable but generally calm, while UNISFA continued to contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the area.
