Drone Strike on United Nations Base in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Claims Six Peacekeepers
A aerial bombardment struck a UN facility in conflict-ridden Sudan on Saturday, causing the loss of six peacekeepers, as stated by a declaration.
The attack targeted a peacekeeping facility in the city of Kadugli, situated in the central region of Kordofan.
8 additional personnel were hurt in the attack. All the victims are from Bangladesh, part of the United Nations mission in Abyei.
“Strikes aimed at UN personnel could be violations of international law under global statutes,” the statement said, urging those responsible for the “unjustifiable” attack to be prosecuted.
Army Blames Paramilitary Faction
The national army blamed the strike on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a well-known militia that has been engaged in conflict with the military for power in the country for more than two years.
The strike “shows the destructive nature of the armed faction and those behind it,” the army said in a statement.
Context of the Contested Region
The resource-abundant Abyei is a claimed region between Sudan and South Sudan, and the peacekeeping force has been stationed there since 2011, when the south seceded from Sudan.
Calls for an urgent halt to fighting in Sudan were also expressed to allow “a wide-ranging, all-encompassing and locally driven peace process” to settle the conflict.
Country Engulfed in Conflict Since 2023
Sudan was engulfed in open war in April 2023 when a power struggle between the army and the RSF escalated into direct clashes in the national capital and other parts the country.
- The conflict has taken tens of thousands, a figure advocates regard as a significant undercount.
- Recent hostilities has focused on Kordofan, especially since paramilitary forces took control of El Fasher.
- The crisis has destroyed urban areas and has been characterized by atrocities, including mass rape and killings based on ethnicity.
- These crimes have been labeled war crimes by global observers.
- The situation has also created the planet's most severe humanitarian crisis and pushed parts of the country into starvation.
