Sudan has rejected South Sudan’s decision to include the disputed Abyei Administrative Area among the geographical constituencies for the country’s general elections scheduled for 22 December 2026, according to the Sudan News Agency (SUNA).
Citing a statement from Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, SUNA reported that Khartoum considers the move a violation of existing bilateral agreements governing the disputed territory.
The ministry said South Sudan’s National Elections Commission recently approved 102 geographical constituencies, including 12 in Warrap State that encompass the Abyei Administrative Area.
According to the statement, Sudan argues that the decision contradicts the 2005 Abyei Protocol under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the 2011 Agreement on Temporary Security and Administrative Arrangements for Abyei, and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2046 (2012), which calls on both countries to negotiate the territory’s final status.
Khartoum said those agreements remain the legal framework for resolving issues related to Abyei and urged South Sudan to honour its commitments by pursuing a negotiated and peaceful settlement.
The Sudanese government also appealed to the United Nations, regional and international organisations, and countries that witnessed the Abyei agreements to reject what it described as unilateral measures that fall outside the agreed legal framework.
Despite its objections, Sudan reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining good-neighbourly relations with South Sudan while stating that it would continue to defend what it described as its legal rights concerning the disputed Abyei region.
The South Sudanese authorities had not publicly responded to Sudan’s statement at the time of publication.
