Unmanned Assault on UN Base in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Claims 6 Peacekeepers
A drone strike targeted a UN logistics base in war-torn Sudan on Saturday, causing the loss of six UN soldiers, according to a statement.
The strike impacted a peacekeeping facility in the city of Kadugli, situated in the central region of Kordofan.
Eight additional personnel were hurt in the assault. Each of the victims are Bangladeshi nationals, serving in the UN peacekeeping contingent in Abyei.
“Attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers could be international crimes under global statutes,” officials stated, demanding the perpetrators for the “unacceptable” attack to be prosecuted.
Army Points Finger at Paramilitary Group
The Sudanese military blamed the incident on the paramilitary RSF group, a notorious paramilitary group that has been at war with the military for control of the country for since April 2023.
The attack “demonstrates the subversive tactics of the rebel militia and its backers,” the military said in a communication.
Context of the Contested Area
The resource-abundant Abyei is a contested territory between Sudan and its southern neighbor, and the peacekeeping force has been deployed there since 2011, when the south gained its independence from Sudan.
Calls for an swift truce 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 thrown into open war in April 2023 when a political rivalry between the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the national capital and elsewhere the country.
- The conflict has killed tens of thousands, a figure advocates regard as a significant undercount.
- Recent hostilities has been concentrated in Kordofan, particularly since paramilitary forces seized El Fasher.
- The crisis has destroyed urban areas and has been marked by horrors, including widespread sexual violence and killings based on ethnicity.
- These actions have been labeled war crimes by international bodies.
- The situation has also created the globe's most dire humanitarian crisis and forced parts of the country into starvation.
