UNITED NATIONS, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council on Monday extended until Oct. 15, 2018 a modification to the mandate of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
Unanimously adopting resolution 2412, the Council renewed the modifications set forth in resolution 2024 (2011) and paragraph 1 of resolution 2075 (2012), both relating to UNISFA's support for a Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism.
By its terms, the Council decided the extension would be the final until the parties took action leading to progress on border demarcation.
The Council also decided to maintain UNISFA's authorized troop ceiling of 4,791 until Oct. 15, 2018, and further that, as of that date, the ceiling would decrease to 4,250, unless the Council decided to extend the mandate modification.
UNISFA is a UN peacekeeping force in Abyei, which is contested between the Republic of Sudan and the newly independent Republic of South Sudan. UNISFA was approved on June 27, 2011 by the Council in resolution 1990 after a flareup in the South Kordofan conflict earlier in June 2011.
