Unmanned Attack on UN Compound in War-Torn Sudan Leaves Six Peacekeepers
A aerial bombardment struck a United Nations facility in war-torn Sudan on Saturday, leading to the loss of six UN soldiers, per a statement.
The strike impacted a UN logistics base in the city of Kadugli, located in the central region of Kordofan.
8 other personnel were hurt in the assault. All the those affected are Bangladeshi nationals, part of the United Nations mission in Abyei.
“Strikes aimed at United Nations personnel could amount to war crimes under international law,” the statement said, calling for the perpetrators for the “unjustifiable” attack to be prosecuted.
Army Blames Paramilitary Group
The national army attributed the strike on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a well-known militia that has been at war with the army for power in the country for more than two years.
The attack “demonstrates the subversive nature of the armed faction and its backers,” the army said in a statement.
Context of the Disputed Area
The resource-abundant Abyei is a disputed territory between Sudan and South Sudan, and the United Nations contingent has been operating there since 2011, when South Sudan seceded from Sudan.
Appeals for an urgent halt to fighting in Sudan were also made to allow “a broad, all-encompassing and locally driven peace process” to address the fighting.
Country Engulfed in Conflict Since 2023
Sudan was plunged into chaos in April 2023 when a political rivalry between the military and the RSF exploded into full-scale combat in the national capital and other parts the country.
- The war has taken more than 40,000 people, a figure rights groups regard as a major underestimate.
- Recent combat has centred on Kordofan, notably since fighters seized El Fasher.
- The conflict has destroyed towns and has been characterized by grave abuses, such as mass rape and killings based on ethnicity.
- These actions have been described as war crimes by the UN and rights groups.
- The situation has also precipitated the planet's most severe humanitarian disaster and forced parts of the country into starvation.
