Drone Strike on UN Base in War-Torn Sudan Claims 6 UN Personnel
A drone strike struck a UN facility in conflict-ridden Sudan on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of six UN soldiers, as stated by a announcement.
The incident occurred at a peacekeeping outpost in the city of Kadugli, situated in the central region of Kordofan.
Eight other soldiers were injured in the attack. Each of the those affected are Bangladeshi nationals, deployed with the UN peacekeeping contingent in Abyei.
“Assaults against UN peacekeepers could be violations of international law under international law,” the statement said, demanding the perpetrators for the “unacceptable” attack to be brought to justice.
Military Blames Paramilitary Faction
The government forces blamed the attack on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a notorious armed faction that has been engaged in conflict with the government troops for dominance over the country for over 24 months.
The strike “demonstrates the subversive nature of the paramilitary group and those behind it,” the military said in a release.
Context of the Contested Area
The resource-abundant Abyei is a contested territory between Sudan and South Sudan, and the UN mission has been deployed there since 2011, when the south gained its independence from Sudan.
Calls for an swift truce in Sudan were also issued to allow “a comprehensive, all-encompassing and Sudanese-owned peace process” to resolve the war.
Country Plunged into Conflict Since 2023
Sudan was thrown into chaos in April 2023 when a political rivalry between the military and the RSF exploded into full-scale combat in the city of Khartoum and elsewhere the country.
- The conflict has killed over 40,000 lives, a figure rights groups believe a major underestimate.
- Recent fighting has focused on Kordofan, especially since the RSF seized El Fasher.
- The war has wrecked cities and has been noted for horrors, like widespread sexual violence and killings based on ethnicity.
- These crimes have been labeled war crimes by the UN and rights groups.
- The conflict has also caused the planet's most severe humanitarian disaster and pushed parts of the country into starvation.
