Kadugli, Sudan – December 13, 2025: A drone attack on a United Nations facility in Sudan’s Kordofan region has killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers and injured eight others, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confirmed.

The attack targeted the UNISFA logistics base in Kadugli, located in South Kordofan, central Sudan. The base is part of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), which has been deployed in the region since 2011 to protect civilians in the oil-rich and disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan.

UN Response and Condemnation

Guterres strongly condemned the strike, calling it “horrific” and warning that targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. He emphasized the need for accountability:

“Attacks as the one today in South Kordofan against peacekeepers are unjustifiable. There will need to be accountability.”

The Secretary-General also urged an immediate ceasefire to allow a “comprehensive, inclusive and Sudanese-owned political process” to resolve the ongoing conflict.

Details of the Attack

The Sudanese army attributed the drone strike to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group engaged in a civil war with Sudan’s military for more than two years. A video posted online by the army showed plumes of dense black smoke over the UN facility.

No immediate response was reported from the RSF.

Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, expressed deep sorrow over the attack and called on the UN to provide “any necessary emergency support” to Bangladeshi personnel.

“The government of Bangladesh will stand by the families in this difficult moment,” Yunus added.

Background: Sudan Conflict and Humanitarian Crisis

Sudan has been engulfed in chaos since April 2023, when a power struggle between the Sudanese military and the RSF escalated into full-scale fighting. The conflict has claimed over 40,000 lives, though rights groups suggest the toll is significantly higher.

Recent clashes have intensified in Kordofan, especially after the RSF captured el-Fasher, the military’s last stronghold in Darfur. The war has devastated urban areas and included atrocities such as mass rape and ethnically targeted killings, which the UN and human rights organizations classify as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The conflict has also triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with famine threatening parts of the country.

UNISFA Mission

The UN Security Council renewed the UNISFA peacekeeping mission for another year last month. The 4,000-strong force of police and soldiers primarily protects civilians in Abyei, a region that remains a flashpoint due to territorial disputes between Sudan and South Sudan.

Bangladesh is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping operations, and its troops have long been stationed in Abyei.