Drone Attack on UN Base in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Leaves Six UN Personnel

A aerial bombardment hit a UN facility in war-torn Sudan on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of six peacekeepers, per a statement.

The incident targeted a peacekeeping facility in the city of Kadugli, located in the central region of Kordofan.

Eight additional peacekeepers were wounded in the strike. Each of the victims are citizens of Bangladesh, serving in the UN peacekeeping contingent in Abyei.

“Strikes against UN peacekeepers could amount to violations of international law under global statutes,” the statement said, calling for the perpetrators for the “unacceptable” attack to be brought to justice.

Military Points Finger at Fighter Faction

The Sudanese military assigned responsibility for the incident on the RSF fighters, a well-known armed faction that has been engaged in conflict with the government troops for control of the country for more than two years.

The attack “shows the rebellious nature of the paramilitary group and its supporters,” the military said in a communication.

Context of the Contested Area

The resource-abundant Abyei is a contested region between Sudan and South Sudan, and the UN mission has been deployed there since 2011, when the south gained its independence from Sudan.

Appeals for an swift truce in Sudan were also issued to allow “a broad, all-encompassing and Sudanese-owned dialogue” to settle the fighting.

Country Engulfed in Chaos Since 2023

Sudan was thrown into widespread violence in April 2023 when a dispute for control between the army and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere the country.

• The fighting has claimed over 40,000 lives, a number rights groups consider a major underestimate.
• Recent fighting has focused on Kordofan, particularly since fighters captured El Fasher.
• The war has destroyed towns and has been characterized by horrors, like widespread sexual violence and killings based on ethnicity.
• These acts have been described as crimes against humanity by global observers.
• The conflict has also precipitated the globe's most dire humanitarian crisis and driven parts of the country into extreme hunger.