Drone Attack on UN Base in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Kills Six Peacekeepers
A unmanned attack struck a UN compound in conflict-ridden Sudan on Saturday, resulting in the loss of six UN soldiers, according to a statement.
The incident occurred at a peacekeeping logistics base in the city of Kadugli, found in the mid-country region of Kordofan.
8 additional peacekeepers were wounded in the assault. All the those affected are from Bangladesh, deployed with the UN peacekeeping contingent in Abyei.
“Strikes against UN personnel could be war crimes under global statutes,” the statement said, demanding the culprits for the “unacceptable” attack to be held accountable.
Military Accuses Paramilitary Group
The Sudanese military blamed the incident on the paramilitary RSF group, a well-known paramilitary group that has been engaged in conflict with the military for control of the country for since April 2023.
The strike “demonstrates the subversive nature of the rebel militia and its supporters,” the military said in a statement.
Background of the Contested Area
The resource-abundant Abyei is a claimed area between Sudan and South Sudan, and the United Nations contingent has been stationed there since 2011, when South Sudan became independent from Sudan.
Demands for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan were also issued to allow “a comprehensive, all-encompassing and nationally led peace process” to settle the conflict.
Country Plunged into Chaos Since 2023
Sudan was thrown into open war in April 2023 when a political rivalry between the army and the RSF turned into full-scale combat in the city of Khartoum and elsewhere the country.
- The war has taken tens of thousands, a toll advocates believe a significant undercount.
- Recent fighting has focused on Kordofan, especially since fighters took control of El Fasher.
- The conflict has destroyed towns and has been marked by horrors, including widespread sexual violence and ethnically motivated killings.
- These actions have been called international crimes by international bodies.
- The war has also caused the globe's most dire humanitarian disaster and forced parts of the country into famine.
