UN chief says 6 peacekeepers killed in drone strike on a UN facility in Sudan
CAIRO (AP) — There was a drone attack on the United Nations facility war-torn Sudan UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said six peacekeepers were killed on Saturday.
Guterres said in a statement that the attack hit the peacekeeping logistics base in the city of Kadugli in the central region of Kordofan.
Eight peacekeepers were also injured in the attack. All of the victims are Bangladeshi nationals serving in the UN Abyei Interim Security Force. UNISFA.
Guterres said, “Attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law” and called for those responsible for the “unjust” attack to be held accountable.
The Sudanese army blamed the attack on Rapid Support Forces of the RSF, a notorious paramilitary group that has been fighting the army for control of the country for more than two years. There was no immediate comment from RSF.
In the statement made by the army, it was stated that the attack “clearly reveals the destructive approach of the rebel militias and those behind them”. The military posted a video on social media showing thick clouds of black smoke at what it said was a UN facility.
Oil-rich Abyei is a disputed territory between Sudan and South Sudan, and the UN mission has been stationed there since 2011, when South Sudan gained independence from Sudan.
Guterres also called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan to allow for a “comprehensive, inclusive and Sudanese-owned political process” to resolve the conflict in the northeast African country.
Sudan descended into chaos in April 2023, when a power struggle between the army and the RSF escalated into open clashes in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere in the country. More than 40,000 people died in the conflict; Rights groups consider this figure to be a significant undercount.
Fighting has recently intensified over Kodrofan, especially since the RSF took control of al-Fasher, the army’s last stronghold in the western region of Darfur.
The war has devastated urban areas and been marked by atrocities, including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings, that the UN and human rights groups have described as war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in the western region of Darfur.
The war has also created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and pushed parts of the country into famine.
