Aerial Attack on UN Compound in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Kills 6 Peacekeepers
A drone strike targeted a UN facility in war-torn Sudan on Saturday, causing the deaths of six peacekeeping personnel, as stated by a announcement.
The strike occurred at a UN facility in the city of Kadugli, located in the central region of Kordofan.
8 other soldiers were injured in the assault. Each of the those affected are from Bangladesh, serving in the UN interim security force for Abyei (Unisfa).
“Attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers could be war crimes under global statutes,” it was declared, urging the perpetrators for the “unacceptable” attack to be held accountable.
Military Accuses Fighter Group
The Sudanese military assigned responsibility for the strike on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a well-known paramilitary group that has been at war with the army for power in the country for over 24 months.
The strike “clearly reveals the destructive approach of the rebel militia and those behind it,” the army said in a communication.
Context of the Disputed Region
The oil-rich Abyei is a contested region between Sudan and South Sudan, and the peacekeeping force has been operating there since 2011, when the south gained its independence from Sudan.
Calls for an swift truce in Sudan were also made to allow “a wide-ranging, inclusive and nationally led peace process” to settle the fighting.
Country Plunged into Conflict Since 2023
Sudan was engulfed in widespread violence in April 2023 when a power struggle between the army and the RSF escalated into open fighting in the national capital and other parts the country.
- The war has taken more than 40,000 people, a figure advocates believe a significant undercount.
- Recent fighting has been concentrated in Kordofan, particularly since the RSF captured El Fasher.
- The war has wrecked urban areas and has been noted for horrors, such as widespread sexual violence and ethnically motivated killings.
- These crimes have been described as crimes against humanity by international bodies.
- The situation has also precipitated the globe's most dire humanitarian disaster and pushed parts of the country into famine.
