The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) has pulled all peacekeepers and national monitors from two key border sites between Sudan and South Sudan. The withdrawal from Tishwin and Abu Qussa/Wunkur positions concluded over the weekend.
These locations belong to the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism, designed to monitor activities along the disputed frontier between the two nations.
Security Concerns Prompt Pullout
Officials cite an increasingly volatile security environment that has obstructed safe mandate implementation as the reason for the withdrawal. This action follows prior incidents, including the December evacuation of a logistics base in Kadugli after an attack on Bangladeshi peacekeepers.
The Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism has temporarily relocated its headquaers to Abyei to continue border monitoring.
Sudan’s Ongoing Civil War
Sudan has faced civil war since April 2023, when clashes broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Suppo Forces (RSF), commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. Tensions over civilian rule transition ignited the conflict in Khaoum, resulting in tens of thousands killed and millions displaced.
Peace initiatives, such as African Union mediation and Saudi-U.S. talks in Jeddah, have stalled repeatedly. Sudanese authorities repo Colombian and Ukrainian mercenaries suppoing the RSF, along with alleged involvement from Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates. They criticize the European Union for misunderstanding the crisis and accuse Kenya of RSF backing, leading to severed ties with the IGAD regional group.
In July, the TASIS coalition, aligned with the RSF, formed a rival government, appointing General Dagalo to head a 15-member presidential council. The UN and African Union rejected this move.
South Sudan’s Persistent Instability
South Sudan grapples with chronic unrest since independence in 2011. A civil war from 2013 to 2018 stemmed from disputes between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and former Vice President Riek Machar within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).
Although the 2018 peace deal ended formal fighting, militia clashes and resource conflicts persist. Machar’s March 2025 arrest has intensified tensions; his SPLM-In-Opposition claims it voids the agreement. Authorities link him to the Nuer-dominated White Army militia involved in Upper Nile clashes.
By late 2025, over 2.7 million people remained internally displaced, with more than 9 million needing aid, per UN humanitarian data.
UNISFA’s Role and History
UNISFA pledges continued suppo for Sudan-South Sudan stability and border agreements. Established by UN Security Council Resolution 1990 in June 2011, the mission responded to Abyei clashes before South Sudan’s independence. It demilitarized the area after violence displaced over 100,000, primarily with Ethiopian troops, as Abyei’s status remains unresolved.
