Closure of UNMIS

UNMIS wound up its operations on 9 July 2011 with the completion of the interim period agreed on by the Government of Sudan and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed on 9 January 2005.

The mission ended its six years of mandated operations the same day South Sudan declared independence, following a CPA-provided referendum on 9 January 2011 that voted overwhelmingly in favour of secession.

In support of the new nation, the Security Council established a successor mission to UNMIS – the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) – on 9 July for an initial period of one year, with the intention to renew for further periods as required.

UNMIS opens new team site in Raja

12 Nov 2009

UNMIS opens new team site in Raja

As part of an ongoing effort to expand its presence to support implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the UN Mission in Sudan opened a new team site in the Western Bahr El-Ghazal State county of Raja on 9 November.

UNMIS Regional Coordinator for Southern Sudan David Gressly hailed the inauguration of the new team site as a symbol of the mission's commitment to the area.

"We have reached a number of milestones ahead of time and I think it is very important that we are here in Raja County, which is probably the largest county in Southern Sudan in terms of size," said Mr. Gressly. "We have extended the mission to reach here, and hopefully others in the international community will enter this area, which has been difficult to access since the signing of the CPA"

The Governor of Western Bahr El-Ghazal State, Lt. Gen. Mark Nyipuoch Ubong, said that an UNMIS presence in Raja was vital for monitoring implementation of the CPA and the north-south border demarcation process, particularly since the disputed territory of Kafia Kingi is located along that frontier.

"We, the citizens of Western Bahr El-Ghazal, the Government and the people are very much indebted to the work of UNMIS," the governor said. "It is UNMIS that maintains our Wau Airport, it is UNMIS with whom we started together with the Chinese engineers in Wau town where the roads were rough."

Raja County Commissioner Louis Ramadan Fatur noted that the county is the most isolated area in Southern Sudan, urging UNMIS to work with local officials in monitoring future security incidents and assist in the border demarcation process.

For his part, UNMIS Force Commander Maj. Gen. Paban Taba noted that Raja had a very important status for the mission. "Benchmarks which are heavily related to this area, especially on the northern front where we have the border demarcation, would be of high importance for us," he said.

Mr Gressly said that UNMIS would work with county officials to consolidate peace and stability in the area. "It is timely that we open this team site today," he noted. "I think some of the recent security incidents we have seen in the area are a reminder once again of why we need to maintain vigilance."