Unmanned Assault on UN Base in War-Torn Sudan Kills Six Peacekeepers
A aerial bombardment struck a UN compound in conflict-ridden Sudan on Saturday, leading to the loss of six peacekeepers, as stated by a declaration.
The incident targeted a peacekeeping logistics base in the city of Kadugli, located in the central region of Kordofan.
8 other soldiers were wounded in the assault. All the victims are Bangladeshi nationals, deployed with the United Nations mission in Abyei.
“Attacks aimed at UN personnel could be international crimes under international law,” it was declared, urging the perpetrators for the “unjustifiable” strike to be brought to justice.
Army Blames Paramilitary Faction
The government forces assigned responsibility for the incident on the paramilitary RSF group, a prominent armed faction that has been fighting with the military for control of the country for more than two years.
The strike “demonstrates the subversive nature of the rebel militia and those behind it,” the army said in a statement.
Background of the Contested Region
The resource-abundant Abyei is a claimed region between Sudan and its southern neighbor, and the peacekeeping force has been deployed there since 2011, when South Sudan seceded from Sudan.
Appeals for an swift truce in Sudan were also made to allow “a wide-ranging, all-encompassing and Sudanese-owned peace process” 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 exploded into direct clashes in the city of Khartoum and across the country.
- The war has killed tens of thousands, a number rights groups regard as a significant undercount.
- Recent combat has focused on Kordofan, particularly since the RSF captured El Fasher.
- The war has devastated towns and has been noted for grave abuses, like mass rape and ethnically motivated killings.
- These acts have been labeled war crimes by international bodies.
- The war has also caused the world’s worst humanitarian emergency and pushed parts of the country into extreme hunger.
