Unmanned Strike on UN Facility in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Leaves Six Peacekeepers
A aerial bombardment struck a United Nations facility in war-torn Sudan on Saturday, causing the demise of six peacekeeping personnel, as stated by a statement.
The strike occurred at a UN logistics base in the city of Kadugli, situated in the central region of Kordofan.
Eight other personnel were hurt in the attack. All the those affected are citizens of Bangladesh, serving in the UN peacekeeping contingent in Abyei.
“Assaults aimed at United Nations personnel could be violations of international law under global statutes,” it was declared, calling for those responsible for the “unjustifiable” strike to be prosecuted.
Army Blames Fighter Group
The government forces blamed the incident on the RSF fighters, a well-known paramilitary group that has been at war with the army for dominance over the country for over 24 months.
The attack “clearly reveals the subversive approach of the paramilitary group and its supporters,” 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 United Nations contingent has been stationed there since 2011, when South Sudan became independent from Sudan.
Calls for an urgent halt to fighting in Sudan were also issued to allow “a broad, all-encompassing and locally driven dialogue” to settle the conflict.
Nation Engulfed in Chaos Since 2023
Sudan was engulfed in widespread violence in April 2023 when a political rivalry between the army and the RSF exploded into full-scale combat in the national capital and other parts the country.
- The war has taken more than 40,000 people, a number advocates believe a significant undercount.
- Recent fighting has focused on Kordofan, notably since paramilitary forces captured El Fasher.
- The crisis has wrecked cities and has been noted for atrocities, such as systematic rape and ethnically motivated killings.
- These acts have been called international crimes by international bodies.
- The conflict has also precipitated the globe's most dire humanitarian crisis and pushed parts of the country into extreme hunger.
