Six U.N. peacekeepers were killed and eight wounded when a drone struck a U.N. logistics base in Kadugli, Kordofan, the U.N. chief said. All victims were Bangladeshi troops serving with UNISFA. Sudan’s military blamed the Rapid Support Forces for the attack; the RSF has not responded. António Guterres called the strike potentially a war crime and urged an immediate ceasefire to enable a Sudanese-led political settlement.
Drone Strike on U.N. Facility in Sudan Kills Six Peacekeepers, U.N. Chief Says
A UN peacekeeping patrol drives by in Abyei [File: Tim Freccia/AP]
CAIRO — A drone strike struck a United Nations logistics base in Kadugli, in Sudan’s central Kordofan region, on Saturday, killing six U.N. peacekeepers and wounding eight others, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said.
The victims were all Bangladeshi nationals serving with the U.N. Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), Guterres said in a statement. The strike hit a peacekeeping logistics hub that supports the U.N. mission deployed in the disputed Abyei area.
U.N. Response and Call for Accountability
Guterres warned that "attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law" and urged that those responsible for what he called an "unjustifiable" attack be held accountable. He also renewed his call for an immediate nationwide ceasefire to allow "a comprehensive, inclusive and Sudanese-owned political process" to end the fighting.
Who Is Blamed
The Sudanese military blamed the strike on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group that has been fighting the army for control of the country since April 2023. The RSF did not immediately respond to the allegation. The military released a statement saying the attack "clearly reveals the subversive approach of the rebel militia and those behind it" and posted video footage on social media showing thick black smoke over what it described as the U.N. facility.
Context: Abyei, Kordofan and the Wider War
Abyei is an oil-rich, contested territory on the border between Sudan and South Sudan. The U.N. mission has been stationed there since South Sudan gained independence in 2011. Sudan plunged into widespread conflict in April 2023 after a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF erupted into open fighting across Khartoum and other regions.
The war has devastated cities and towns, and rights groups and the U.N. have documented atrocities — including mass rape and ethnically targeted killings — that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in Darfur. The U.N. and human rights organizations estimate the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, a figure many say significantly undercounts the true toll.
Recent fighting has focused on Kordofan, and escalated after the RSF captured el-Fasher, a key town the military described as its last stronghold in western Darfur. The violence has produced what the U.N. calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and pushed parts of the country toward famine.
Key takeaway: The strike marks a deadly escalation in a conflict that threatens U.N. personnel, exacerbates a major humanitarian emergency and underlines urgent international calls for a ceasefire and accountability.
