Aerial Assault on United Nations Base in War-Torn Sudan Leaves Six UN Personnel
A unmanned attack targeted a United Nations facility in conflict-ridden Sudan on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of six UN soldiers, as stated by a announcement.
The incident impacted a peacekeeping facility in the city of Kadugli, found in the mid-country region of Kordofan.
Eight additional peacekeepers were wounded in the assault. All the casualties are from Bangladesh, serving in the UN peacekeeping contingent in Abyei.
“Attacks aimed at UN peacekeepers may constitute international crimes under global statutes,” the statement said, urging the perpetrators for the “inexcusable” attack to be prosecuted.
Army Blames Paramilitary Group
The Sudanese military attributed the attack on the RSF fighters, a well-known paramilitary group that has been at war with the army for power in the country for over 24 months.
The attack “demonstrates the subversive approach of the paramilitary group and those behind it,” the army said in a statement.
Context of the Contested Area
The resource-abundant Abyei is a disputed territory between Sudan and its southern neighbor, and the United Nations contingent has been deployed there since 2011, when South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan.
Appeals for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan were also issued to allow “a broad, all-encompassing and nationally led dialogue” to settle the war.
Nation Engulfed in Conflict Since 2023
Sudan was engulfed in open war in April 2023 when a dispute for control between the military and the RSF escalated into full-scale combat in the capital, Khartoum and across the country.
- The war has taken over 40,000 lives, a number human rights organizations regard as a significant undercount.
- Recent fighting has been concentrated in Kordofan, especially since fighters captured El Fasher.
- The crisis has destroyed towns and has been characterized by grave abuses, including widespread sexual violence and ethnic slaughter.
- These actions have been labeled crimes against humanity by international bodies.
- The conflict has also created the planet's most severe humanitarian emergency and pushed parts of the country into starvation.
