Aerial Strike on UN Compound in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Kills 6 Peacekeepers
A drone strike hit a United Nations logistics base in war-torn Sudan on Saturday, leading to the demise of six peacekeepers, as stated by a announcement.
The incident targeted a UN facility in the city of Kadugli, situated in the mid-country region of Kordofan.
8 other soldiers were wounded in the strike. Each of the casualties are from Bangladesh, deployed with the UN interim security force for Abyei (Unisfa).
“Assaults targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under global statutes,” officials stated, calling for the perpetrators for the “unacceptable” strike to be prosecuted.
Army Accuses Fighter Group
The national army blamed the attack on the RSF fighters, a prominent armed faction that has been engaged in conflict with the military for dominance over the country for over 24 months.
The strike “demonstrates the destructive approach of the paramilitary group and those behind it,” the army said in a communication.
Context of the Contested Region
The oil-rich Abyei is a disputed territory between Sudan and South Sudan, and the UN mission has been operating there since 2011, when South Sudan became independent from Sudan.
Appeals for an swift truce in Sudan were also issued to allow “a comprehensive, inclusive and Sudanese-owned dialogue” to address the war.
Nation Engulfed in Conflict Since 2023
Sudan was engulfed in chaos in April 2023 when a political rivalry between the army and the RSF turned into open fighting in the city of Khartoum and elsewhere the country.
- The conflict has claimed tens of thousands, a number human rights organizations consider a major underestimate.
- Recent fighting has centred on Kordofan, notably since fighters captured El Fasher.
- The war has devastated cities and has been marked by horrors, like systematic rape and ethnically motivated killings.
- These crimes have been described as war crimes by international bodies.
- The situation has also created the world’s worst humanitarian emergency and forced parts of the country into famine.
