A drone strike on a United Nations peacekeeping base in Sudan’s South Kordofan region has killed six UN soldiers from Bangladesh and wounded at least six others, in what the UN has described as a potential war crime and a stark escalation in the country’s deepening conflict.
The attack struck a camp belonging to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan state, on Saturday. Four of the injured are reported to be in critical condition. All casualties were Bangladeshi peacekeepers, according to the UN mission.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the strike as “horrific” and warned that deliberate attacks on peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. He called for accountability, underscoring the growing risks faced by international forces operating in Sudan’s expanding war zones.
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, confirmed the death toll and said his government was “deeply saddened” by the loss. Dhaka urged the UN to provide urgent medical and logistical support to its personnel and pledged full assistance to the families of those killed.
UNISFA operates in Abyei, a long-disputed territory between Sudan and South Sudan, but the strike occurred further south in Kadugli—a city that has been under siege for more than a year and where famine was declared earlier this month. Medical officials and eyewitnesses confirmed that a drone directly hit the UN facility while personnel were inside.
The Sudanese army released video footage showing fires and smoke rising from the UN base and accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out the attack. Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, led by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, described the strike as a “dangerous escalation” and warned it threatened international peacekeeping operations across the country.
The RSF swiftly denied responsibility, rejecting the allegations as “false accusations” and disputing claims that its forces carried out a drone attack. The exchange highlights the fog of war now surrounding Sudan, where both sides routinely trade blame amid a rapidly deteriorating security environment.
Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris went further, calling the RSF a “terrorist rebel militia” and urging the United Nations to pursue legal action against those responsible. His statement reflects mounting pressure on international bodies to reassess how they engage with armed actors in the conflict.
The strike comes as the RSF consolidates territorial gains. After capturing El-Fasher in late October—the army’s last major stronghold in Darfur—the group has pushed eastward into the oil-rich Kordofan region. Control of Kordofan is strategically vital, serving as a corridor between Darfur and central Sudan and enabling troop movements and supply lines.
Analysts warn that the RSF’s advance is designed to break through army defenses in central Sudan and potentially pave the way for a renewed offensive toward Khartoum. The use of drones, once rare in the conflict, now signals a shift toward more sophisticated and indiscriminate warfare.
Just days earlier, airstrikes on a kindergarten and hospital in Kalogi, also in South Kordofan, killed at least 114 people, including 63 children, according to the World Health Organization. The cumulative toll underscores how civilians and humanitarian workers are increasingly caught in the crossfire.
Since the war began in April 2023, tens of thousands have been killed, millions displaced, and Sudan has plunged into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have repeatedly stalled. Although U.S. President Donald Trump said last month that he intended to move toward ending the war following talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, no concrete initiative has yet emerged.
The drone strike on UN peacekeepers marks a grim milestone. It not only deepens Sudan’s isolation but also raises urgent questions about the viability of international missions operating amid an unchecked, fragmenting war—one where even neutral forces are no longer spared.
