Drone Assault on UN Facility in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Leaves Six Peacekeepers

A unmanned attack struck a UN compound in conflict-ridden Sudan on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of six peacekeepers, according to a statement.

The incident impacted a UN logistics base in the city of Kadugli, situated in the mid-country region of Kordofan.

Eight other personnel were hurt in the assault. Each of the victims are citizens of Bangladesh, deployed with the UN peacekeeping contingent in Abyei.

“Attacks aimed at United Nations peacekeepers could be war crimes under international law,” it was declared, urging those responsible for the “unjustifiable” attack to be prosecuted.

Army Blames Paramilitary Faction

The Sudanese military attributed the incident on the RSF fighters, a notorious paramilitary group that has been at war with the military for dominance over the country for over 24 months.

The attack “clearly reveals the destructive nature of the paramilitary group and its supporters,” the army said in a statement.

Context of the Contested Area

The oil-rich Abyei is a disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan, and the peacekeeping force has been deployed there since 2011, when the south gained its independence from Sudan.

Demands for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan were also made to allow “a wide-ranging, all-encompassing and Sudanese-owned dialogue” to settle the conflict.

Country Plunged into Conflict Since 2023

Sudan was engulfed in chaos in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the RSF turned into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum and across the country.

• The conflict has killed over 40,000 lives, a figure advocates regard as a significant undercount.
• Recent hostilities has centred on Kordofan, particularly since paramilitary forces took control of El Fasher.
• The crisis has destroyed cities and has been characterized by grave abuses, like mass rape and ethnically motivated killings.
• These actions have been labeled war crimes by global observers.
• The war has also created the planet's most severe humanitarian emergency and pushed parts of the country into extreme hunger.