Drone Strike on United Nations Facility in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Claims Six UN Personnel
A drone strike targeted a UN facility in war-torn Sudan on Saturday, leading to the loss of six UN soldiers, per a declaration.
The incident occurred at a peacekeeping facility in the city of Kadugli, found in the mid-country region of Kordofan.
Eight other soldiers were hurt in the attack. All the victims are citizens of Bangladesh, part of the UN interim security force for Abyei (Unisfa).
“Attacks against United Nations personnel could be international crimes under international law,” officials stated, calling for the culprits for the “unacceptable” strike to be prosecuted.
Army Points Finger at Fighter Group
The government forces assigned responsibility for the attack on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a prominent armed faction that has been engaged in conflict with the army for power in the country for over 24 months.
The strike “shows the destructive nature of the armed faction and its supporters,” the military said in a release.
Context of the Contested Area
The oil-rich Abyei is a claimed territory between Sudan and South Sudan, and the peacekeeping force has been deployed there since 2011, when South Sudan seceded from Sudan.
Appeals for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan were also made to allow “a wide-ranging, all-encompassing and nationally led peace process” to resolve the fighting.
Nation Engulfed in Chaos Since 2023
Sudan was plunged into open war in April 2023 when a power struggle between the army and the RSF escalated into direct clashes in the capital, Khartoum and across the country.
- The conflict has claimed more than 40,000 people, a figure human rights organizations consider a major underestimate.
- Recent fighting has centred on Kordofan, especially since fighters captured El Fasher.
- The conflict has destroyed towns and has been marked by atrocities, like widespread sexual violence and ethnic slaughter.
- These acts have been called crimes against humanity by global observers.
- The war has also created the globe's most dire humanitarian crisis and forced parts of the country into famine.