May 15, 2018 - 4:40 PM
U.N. peacekeepers will remain in the disputed Abyei region on the Sudan-South Sudan border for another six months, but the Security Council is trimming the force while encouraging the two nations to resolve their stalemate over the oil-rich area.
The council unanimously agreed Tuesday to extend the peacekeeping mission until mid-November. But the renewal lowers the troop ceiling to 4,500 from nearly 4,800 and "expresses disappointment" at the pace of progress toward a political resolution.
The mission is known as UNISFA. It has been in Abyei since 2011.
A decades-long civil war between Sudan's north and south ended with a 2005 peace deal that allowed for South Sudan to become independent. The pact also required both sides to work out the final status of Abyei, but it's still unresolved.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018