A drone strike has targeted a United Nations logistics base in Sudan, resulting in the deaths of six peacekeepers and wounding eight others. The attack occurred in the city of Kadugli, located in the central Kordofan region.
All casualties are reported to be members of the Bangladeshi contingent serving with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). The UN Secretary-General condemned the assault, stating that attacks on peacekeeping personnel are unjustifiable and may constitute war crimes under international law. He called for those responsible to be held accountable.
The Sudanese military has publicly accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out the strike, though the RSF has not issued an immediate response. The military released footage purporting to show smoke rising from the UN facility following the attack.
The UN mission has been stationed in the oil-rich Abyei area, a region contested by Sudan and South Sudan, since South Sudan’s independence in 2011.
The Secretary-General reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan to facilitate a political resolution to the conflict. The war, which erupted from a power struggle between the military and the RSF in April 2023, has caused widespread devastation, claimed tens of thousands of lives, and triggered a severe humanitarian crisis marked by famine.
Recent fighting has concentrated in the Kordofan region. The conflict has been characterized by widespread atrocities, including mass killings and sexual violence, which international bodies have described as potential war crimes and crimes against humanity.
