Aerial Assault on United Nations Base in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Claims 6 Peacekeepers

A drone strike struck a United Nations compound in war-torn Sudan on Saturday, resulting in the loss of six peacekeeping personnel, according to a announcement.

The strike occurred at a UN outpost in the city of Kadugli, found in the mid-country region of Kordofan.

8 other personnel were injured in the attack. Each of the those affected are Bangladeshi nationals, serving in the UN peacekeeping contingent in Abyei.

“Assaults against UN personnel may constitute violations of international law under global statutes,” officials stated, demanding those responsible for the “inexcusable” attack to be brought to justice.

Army Accuses Fighter Group

The Sudanese military attributed the strike on the paramilitary RSF group, a well-known armed faction that has been fighting with the government troops for power in the country for over 24 months.

The strike “demonstrates the destructive approach of the rebel militia and its supporters,” the army said in a release.

Background of the Disputed Region

The oil-rich Abyei is a claimed region between Sudan and South Sudan, and the UN mission has been deployed there since 2011, when South Sudan seceded from Sudan.

Demands for an urgent halt to fighting in Sudan were also made to allow “a broad, all-encompassing and locally driven political process” to resolve the conflict.

Country Plunged into Chaos Since 2023

Sudan was engulfed in widespread violence in April 2023 when a dispute for control between the army and the RSF exploded into direct clashes in the national capital and other parts the country.

• The fighting has claimed tens of thousands, a number human rights organizations consider a significant undercount.
• Recent hostilities has been concentrated in Kordofan, particularly since fighters captured El Fasher.
• The conflict has devastated urban areas and has been noted for grave abuses, like widespread sexual violence and ethnically motivated killings.
• These crimes have been called international crimes by international bodies.
• The situation has also caused the planet's most severe humanitarian crisis and pushed parts of the country into famine.