UN chief condemns killing of Bangladeshi peacekeepers
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the killing of six members of the Bangladesh Army serving as United Nations peacekeepers, and the wounding of eight others, in Abyei, Sudan, on Saturday night following a drone attack.
“I strongly condemn the horrific drone attacks that targeted the United Nations peacekeeping logistics base in Kadugli, Sudan,” Guterres said in a statement.
“Attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law,” he added. “Attacks like the one today in South Kordofan against peacekeepers are unjustifiable. There will need to be accountability.”
The Sudanese army blamed the attack on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group. The army and the RSF have been engaged in a civil war for more than two years. There was no immediate comment from the RSF.
The Sudanese army said in a statement that the attack “clearly reveals the subversive approach of the rebel militia and those behind it.” The military also posted a video on social media showing plumes of dense black smoke over what it identified as the UN facility.
Bangladesh’s interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus expressed that he was “deeply saddened” by the attack, confirming six dead and eight wounded. He urged the UN to ensure that Bangladesh’s personnel receive “any necessary emergency support.”
“The government of Bangladesh will stand by the families in this difficult moment,” Yunus added.
The oil-rich Abyei region is disputed between Sudan and South Sudan. The UN mission has been deployed there since 2011, when South Sudan gained independence from Sudan.
Guterres also called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan to allow “a comprehensive, inclusive, and Sudanese-owned political process” to resolve the conflict.
Sudan plunged into chaos in April 2023, when a power struggle between the military and the RSF erupted into open fighting in Khartoum and other parts of the country. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, though rights groups consider the figure a significant undercount.
The fighting has recently focused on Kodrofan, particularly since the RSF took control of el-Fasher, the military’s last stronghold in western Darfur. The war has devastated urban areas and has been marked by atrocities, including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings, which the UN and rights groups have described as war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in Darfur.
The conflict has also created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, pushing parts of the country toward famine.
The attack comes just a month after the UN Security Council voted to renew the UNISFA peacekeeping mission for another year. Bangladesh is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions, and its troops have long been deployed in Abyei.
UNISFA’s 4,000 police and soldiers are tasked with protecting civilians in the region, which has been plagued by frequent armed clashes.