Drone Attack Kills Six Bangladeshi UN Peacekeepers in Sudan

On 13–14 December a drone strike hit a United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) logistics compound in Kadugli, South Kordofan.

“The United Nations has condemned a recent drone attack that targeted its Sudanese logistics in the central region of Kordofan base in Kadugli, resulting in fatalities & injuries of members of the Bangladeshi Peacekeeping contingent”

africanews

The attack killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers and wounded others, according to UN and Bangladeshi accounts.

africanews

UNISFA and news outlets reported slightly different tallies for the wounded, with some saying six and others eight, while footage and eyewitnesses showed fires and heavy smoke at the site.

The attack occurred as UN and Bangladeshi officials requested emergency support for the wounded and repatriation of the dead.

The UN Secretary-General and senior UN peacekeeping officials strongly condemned the strike, calling it horrific and unjustifiable and warning the attack may constitute war crimes under international law while urging accountability and protection for UN personnel.

Bangladesh's political leadership and military spokespeople likewise denounced the assault, described the dead as national heroes, and urged the UN to provide medical care for the wounded and support for families.

Al Jazeera

Responsibility for the strike is contested.

“UN condemns killing of Bangladeshi peacekeepers in Sudan drone attack UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says six peacekeepers, all Bangladesh nationals, were killed when a drone strike hit a UN logistics base in Kadugli, in Sudan’s central region of Kordofan”

Al Jazeera

Sudan's armed forces and the Sovereignty Council quickly blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The RSF either denied responsibility or had no immediate comment in different reports.

Some Bangladesh and regional outlets quoted army-aligned authorities describing the attack as a 'terrorist' act and urged international accountability.

The divergence in reporting, explicit denial versus 'no immediate comment', reflects rapidly developing information and sourcing from army and RSF statements or independent observers.

The strike occurred amid a wider, brutal conflict that began in April 2023 between Sudan’s regular army and the RSF.

Sources repeatedly describe the war as having killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, and produced severe humanitarian crises, including pockets of famine.

Al-Jazeera Net

Reporting differs in emphasis: West Asian outlets underline siege conditions around Kadugli and recent UN famine warnings.

Many Western and Asian outlets catalogue a series of deadly strikes in Kordofan, including a widely reported attack on a kindergarten and a hospital in Kalogi, to illustrate the conflict’s escalating toll on civilians.

The attack raises questions about the safety of UNISFA personnel and the vulnerability of UN logistics sites to drone strikes.

“UN Secretary‑General António Guterres condemned a recent attack and urged an immediate halt to hostilities as Sudan’s regular army blamed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which denied responsibility”

Al-Jazeera Net

It has prompted calls for investigation and accountability.

Al-Jazeera Net

UNISFA is a long-standing mission with about 4,000 personnel deployed to protect civilians and facilitate aid in the disputed Abyei area.

World leaders and Bangladeshi officials called for justice, improved protection for peacekeepers, and emergency assistance for the wounded.

Some political leaders urged that the RSF be designated a terrorist organization, a demand that highlights how national and local politics shape immediate responses to the strike.