Drone Attack on UN Base in War-Torn Sudan Leaves Six Peacekeepers
A unmanned attack hit a United Nations facility in conflict-ridden Sudan on Saturday, causing the deaths of six UN soldiers, according to a statement.
The incident targeted a peacekeeping facility in the city of Kadugli, located in the central region of Kordofan.
Eight additional soldiers were wounded in the attack. Each of the those affected are citizens of Bangladesh, deployed with the UN peacekeeping contingent in Abyei.
“Assaults aimed at United Nations peacekeepers could be war crimes under global statutes,” the statement said, urging the culprits for the “inexcusable” strike to be held accountable.
Army Accuses Fighter Faction
The government forces attributed the strike on the RSF fighters, a notorious paramilitary group that has been engaged in conflict with the military for power in the country for over 24 months.
The attack “clearly reveals the rebellious nature of the armed faction and its supporters,” the army said in a statement.
Context of the Contested Region
The oil-rich Abyei is a contested area between Sudan and its southern neighbor, and the UN mission has been deployed there since 2011, when South Sudan became independent from Sudan.
Calls for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan were also issued to allow “a broad, all-encompassing and nationally led political process” to address the conflict.
Nation Plunged into Conflict Since 2023
Sudan was thrown into open war in April 2023 when a political rivalry between the military and the RSF escalated into full-scale combat in the capital, Khartoum and across the country.
- The fighting has killed more than 40,000 people, a number human rights organizations consider a significant undercount.
- Recent combat has focused on Kordofan, notably since the RSF seized El Fasher.
- The war has devastated cities and has been characterized by horrors, like widespread sexual violence and ethnically motivated killings.
- These acts have been called war crimes by international bodies.
- The situation has also created the planet's most severe humanitarian emergency and driven parts of the country into starvation.
