UN facility in Sudan attacked by drone killing six peacekeepers
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Khartoum: A drone attack on a United Nations base in Kadugli, the capital of Sudan's South Kordofan State, killed at least six UN peacekeepers and injured seven more, according to Sudanese authorities.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was accused of carrying out the strike by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), a charge that the RSF refuted, according to Xinhua news agency.
According to an SAF statement, the drone fired three missiles at the UN headquarters and the Bangladesh Battalion, setting a UN storage facility on fire. All the casualties were members of the Bangladesh Battalion, which is part of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei, a disputed area between Sudan and South Sudan, IANS reported.
In a separate statement, Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, which backs the SAF, condemned what it described as an RSF drone attack on UN premises in Kadugli, calling it a serious violation of international humanitarian law and the protections afforded to UN facilities.
"Targeting a protected UN facility represents a dangerous escalation and criminal behavior amounting to an organized terrorist act," the council said, adding that the attack poses a direct threat to humanitarian and international missions.
The council held the RSF "fully responsible" and urged the United Nations and the international community to take firm measures to protect UN facilities and humanitarian personnel and to hold those responsible accountable under international law.
The RSF, however, denied carrying out any aerial attack on the UN facility. In a statement, it rejected the allegations as "baseless," saying they were an attempt to fabricate accusations against its forces.
The RSF claimed its record is "entirely free" of attacks on international organisations, adding that it has previously worked to protect UN facilities and ensure the safety of humanitarian workers. It called on international bodies to verify information carefully.
Sudan has been engulfed in a deadly conflict since April 15, 2023, when fighting broke out between the SAF and the RSF, leaving tens of thousands dead and millions displaced inside the country and across its borders.