Six soldiers from the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) were killed on Saturday in drone attacks targeting a mission camp in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan State. The Sudanese government condemned the attack and blamed the Rapid Support Forces.
Reliable sources within the UN mission told Sudan Tribune that three drones struck a logistical camp and a fuel station belonging to the mission, killing six Bangladeshi peacekeepers and wounding a large number of soldiers, including two in critical condition.
Parallel sources in Kadugli said the city witnessed heavy shelling on Saturday by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, whose forces have besieged the city for several months.
According to information obtained by Sudan Tribune, the drone strikes on the fuel station and camp could prompt the UN mission to withdraw from Kadugli.
In the aftermath of the attack, the mission took urgent measures, including accounting for personnel and issuing an electronic incident tracking alert (e-TA). Additional steps included advising UN staff and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) partners to avoid the area, notifying the Area Security Coordinator (ASC), and reconsidering the execution of non-essential tasks in Kadugli.
For its part, the Sudanese government held the RSF responsible for the attack on the UN headquarters in Kadugli. In a statement, the Sovereign Council condemned the “aerial attack,” describing it as a grave breach of the protection afforded to UN facilities and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.
The council said targeting a protected UN facility constitutes a dangerous escalation and criminal conduct amounting to an organized terrorist act, reflecting a deliberate disregard for international law and a direct threat to humanitarian and international missions.
The statement added: “The Government of Sudan holds the terrorist Rapid Support Forces militia fully responsible for this attack and calls on the United Nations and the international community to adopt firm positions and deterrent measures to ensure the protection of UN facilities and humanitarian workers, and to hold the perpetrators accountable under international law.”
Prime Minister Kamel Idris also condemned the RSF’s aerial attack on the UN headquarters in Kadugli, stating that targeting a protected UN facility represents a dangerous escalation and criminal behavior amounting to organized terrorism. He stressed that the RSF has met all criteria qualifying it as a terrorist group due to its persistent and deliberate violations of international norms, laws, and humanitarian values.
