Sudan has rejected a decision by South Sudan’s National Elections Commission to designate the disputed Abyei Administrative Area as an electoral constituency ahead of general elections scheduled for December 22, 2026.
In a statement issued on Monday, Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said the move violated the Abyei Protocol attached to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, as well as the 2011 agreement between Sudan and South Sudan on temporary security and administrative arrangements for the region.
The ministry said those agreements paved the way for United Nations Security Council Resolution 2046 of 2012, which called on both countries to negotiate without preconditions and reach a final settlement on Abyei’s status.
It said the protocols and bilateral agreements remained the principal legal framework governing the two countries’ handling of the disputed territory, adding that Sudan had continued to abide by those arrangements.
Sudan called for full compliance with all legal obligations contained in the agreements and urged both sides to continue working toward a peaceful and permanent resolution to the Abyei dispute.
It said such a settlement was necessary to protect bilateral relations and preserve security and stability in the border region.
Sudan also called on the United Nations, regional and international organisations, and countries that sponsored the Abyei agreements to ensure their implementation and oppose any unilateral measures taken outside the agreed legal framework.
Abyei is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan and has remained one of the most sensitive unresolved issues since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.
