Unmanned Assault on United Nations Facility in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Kills Six UN Personnel
A aerial bombardment hit a United Nations compound in conflict-ridden Sudan on Saturday, causing the loss of six UN soldiers, per a declaration.
The attack targeted a UN outpost in the city of Kadugli, found in the mid-country region of Kordofan.
Eight additional personnel were wounded in the strike. Each of the casualties are Bangladeshi nationals, part of the United Nations mission in Abyei.
“Assaults against United Nations personnel may constitute war crimes under international law,” it was declared, calling for those responsible for the “inexcusable” strike to be brought to justice.
Army Blames Fighter Group
The national army attributed the attack on the paramilitary RSF group, a prominent militia that has been engaged in conflict with the government troops for dominance over the country for more than two years.
The strike “clearly reveals the rebellious approach of the armed faction and its supporters,” the military said in a statement.
Background of the Contested Area
The oil-rich Abyei is a claimed area between Sudan and South Sudan, and the UN mission has been deployed there since 2011, when the south seceded from Sudan.
Calls for an urgent halt to fighting in Sudan were also expressed to allow “a broad, all-encompassing and Sudanese-owned peace process” to resolve the conflict.
Nation Plunged into Conflict Since 2023
Sudan was thrown into widespread violence in April 2023 when a political rivalry between the military and the RSF escalated into open fighting in the national capital and across the country.
- The fighting has killed over 40,000 lives, a figure human rights organizations believe a low estimate.
- Recent fighting has centred on Kordofan, notably since fighters took control of El Fasher.
- The crisis has devastated towns and has been noted for horrors, such as systematic rape and ethnically motivated killings.
- These actions have been labeled war crimes by the UN and rights groups.
- The conflict has also caused the planet's most severe humanitarian crisis and driven parts of the country into starvation.
