Aerial Attack on United Nations Facility in War-Torn Sudan Kills 6 Peacekeepers
A aerial bombardment hit a United Nations facility in conflict-ridden Sudan on Saturday, resulting in the loss of six peacekeeping personnel, according to a announcement.
The strike occurred at a UN outpost in the city of Kadugli, found in the mid-country region of Kordofan.
8 additional personnel were hurt in the strike. All the casualties are citizens of Bangladesh, serving in the United Nations mission in Abyei.
“Assaults aimed at United Nations peacekeepers may constitute international crimes under international law,” officials stated, urging the perpetrators for the “unjustifiable” strike to be prosecuted.
Army Blames Fighter Faction
The national army attributed the attack on the RSF fighters, a prominent paramilitary group that has been engaged in conflict with the army for dominance over the country for more than two years.
The strike “shows the subversive approach of the paramilitary group and its supporters,” the military said in a release.
Background of the Disputed Region
The resource-abundant Abyei is a disputed area between Sudan and South Sudan, and the UN mission has been operating there since 2011, when the south gained its independence from Sudan.
Appeals for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan were also made to allow “a broad, inclusive and nationally led dialogue” to settle the fighting.
Country Plunged into Conflict Since 2023
Sudan was engulfed in chaos in April 2023 when a dispute for control between the army and the RSF turned into open fighting in the national capital and other parts the country.
- The war has taken tens of thousands, a toll human rights organizations believe a low estimate.
- Recent hostilities has focused on Kordofan, particularly since paramilitary forces seized El Fasher.
- The crisis has wrecked cities and has been marked by atrocities, like widespread sexual violence and ethnic slaughter.
- These actions have been described as international crimes by global observers.
- The conflict has also precipitated the globe's most dire humanitarian disaster and forced parts of the country into extreme hunger.
