Aerial Assault on UN Base in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Leaves 6 UN Personnel
A unmanned attack targeted a United Nations logistics base in war-torn Sudan on Saturday, leading to the loss of six peacekeeping personnel, per a announcement.
The incident impacted a UN outpost in the city of Kadugli, situated in the central region of Kordofan.
8 additional soldiers were wounded in the assault. All the casualties are citizens of Bangladesh, part of the UN peacekeeping contingent in Abyei.
“Assaults against UN peacekeepers could be war crimes under international law,” it was declared, calling for those responsible for the “unjustifiable” strike to be prosecuted.
Military Blames Fighter Faction
The national army attributed the incident on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a prominent paramilitary group that has been fighting with the government troops for dominance over the country for more than two years.
The strike “shows the subversive tactics of the armed faction and its backers,” the army said in a statement.
Context of the Contested Region
The oil-rich Abyei is a contested area between Sudan and South Sudan, and the UN mission has been deployed there since 2011, when South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan.
Demands for an swift truce in Sudan were also expressed to allow “a wide-ranging, all-encompassing and locally driven political process” to settle the fighting.
Nation Engulfed in Chaos Since 2023
Sudan was thrown into widespread violence in April 2023 when a dispute for control between the military and the RSF turned into full-scale combat in the national capital and across the country.
- The fighting has claimed more than 40,000 people, a toll human rights organizations regard as a major underestimate.
- Recent combat has been concentrated in Kordofan, especially since fighters captured El Fasher.
- The conflict has devastated cities and has been noted for grave abuses, such as systematic rape and ethnically motivated killings.
- These actions have been described as crimes against humanity by the UN and rights groups.
- The situation has also caused the planet's most severe humanitarian disaster and pushed parts of the country into starvation.