Unmanned Attack on UN Base in War-Torn Sudan Leaves Six Peacekeepers
A drone strike hit a UN logistics base in war-torn Sudan on Saturday, resulting in the demise of six peacekeeping personnel, as stated by a announcement.
The attack impacted a peacekeeping facility in the city of Kadugli, located in the central region of Kordofan.
8 additional peacekeepers were injured in the strike. Each of the those affected are citizens of Bangladesh, serving in the UN peacekeeping contingent in Abyei.
“Assaults against United Nations peacekeepers could amount to war crimes under global statutes,” it was declared, demanding those responsible for the “unacceptable” attack to be held accountable.
Army Accuses Fighter Faction
The national army assigned responsibility for the attack on the paramilitary RSF group, a well-known armed faction that has been engaged in conflict with the government troops for control of the country for over 24 months.
The attack “demonstrates the destructive tactics of the armed faction and its backers,” the military said in a statement.
Context of the Contested Area
The resource-abundant Abyei is a disputed region between Sudan and its southern neighbor, and the peacekeeping force has been stationed there since 2011, when South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan.
Appeals for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan were also issued to allow “a comprehensive, all-encompassing and locally driven peace process” to settle the fighting.
Country Plunged into Conflict Since 2023
Sudan was plunged into widespread violence in April 2023 when a dispute for control between the military and the RSF exploded into direct clashes in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere the country.
- The war has taken tens of thousands, a number advocates consider a significant undercount.
- Recent hostilities has focused on Kordofan, notably since paramilitary forces seized El Fasher.
- The war has destroyed towns and has been marked by grave abuses, like systematic rape and ethnically motivated killings.
- These acts have been called international crimes by the UN and rights groups.
- The conflict has also caused the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and forced parts of the country into famine.
