UNITED NATIONS, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council on Friday decided to extend for 10 days a set of modifications to the mandate of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
This will enable the mission to support government efforts to normalize relations in the contested border region, a press release said.
Unanimously adopting resolution 2411 (2018), the 15 - member body decided to extend, until April 23, 2018, the provisions laid out in resolution 2024 (2011) and paragraph 1 of resolution 2075 (2012), relating to UNISFA's support for a Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism.
By the terms of those resolutions, the Security Council had broadened the mission's mandate to include assistance to that mechanism as well as support for the development of effective bilateral management mechanisms, facilitating liaisons and building mutual trust.
Also by the terms of those earlier resolutions, the Security Council had urged the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to implement fully their commitments concerning the creation of a safe demilitarized border zone, cooperate fully with each other and provide full support to UNISFA.
UNISFA was approved on June 27, 2011 by the Security Council in resolution 1990 after a flareup in the South Kordofan conflict earlier in June 2011.
On Jan. 15, 2016, Major General Hassen Ebrahim Mussa was appointed force commander of UNISFA.
