Aerial Strike on UN Facility in Conflict-Ravaged Sudan Kills 6 UN Personnel

A aerial bombardment hit a United Nations compound in conflict-ridden Sudan on Saturday, leading to the demise of six peacekeeping personnel, as stated by a statement.

The strike impacted a UN outpost in the city of Kadugli, found in the mid-country region of Kordofan.

Eight additional soldiers were wounded in the assault. Each of the casualties are citizens of Bangladesh, deployed with the United Nations mission in Abyei.

“Attacks targeting United Nations personnel could amount to war crimes under global statutes,” it was declared, calling for those responsible for the “unacceptable” strike to be prosecuted.

Army Accuses Fighter Faction

The Sudanese military blamed the strike on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a well-known paramilitary group that has been fighting with the government troops for power in the country for more than two years.

The strike “clearly reveals the rebellious approach of the rebel militia and its backers,” the army said in a communication.

Background of the Disputed Region

The oil-rich Abyei is a claimed area between Sudan and its southern neighbor, and the peacekeeping force has been stationed there since 2011, when the south became independent from Sudan.

Demands for an swift truce in Sudan were also expressed to allow “a wide-ranging, inclusive and locally driven peace process” to resolve the conflict.

Country Engulfed in Conflict Since 2023

Sudan was engulfed in open war in April 2023 when a dispute for control between the army and the RSF escalated into full-scale combat in the national capital and elsewhere the country.

• The fighting has taken more than 40,000 people, a figure rights groups consider a major underestimate.
• Recent hostilities has focused on Kordofan, especially since fighters took control of El Fasher.
• The war has destroyed towns and has been marked by atrocities, including mass rape and killings based on ethnicity.
• These crimes have been labeled crimes against humanity by international bodies.
• The situation has also created the planet's most severe humanitarian disaster and forced parts of the country into starvation.