DHAKA: Six peacekeepers from the Bangladesh Army were killed in a drone attack on a UN logistics base in southern Sudan and several others were severely injured, the Bangladeshi military said on Sunday.
The strike on a UN base in Kadugli, which hosts the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei — a volatile, oil-rich region disputed between Sudan and South Sudan — took place on Saturday afternoon.
Lt. Col. Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury, director of Inter-Services Public Relations of Bangladesh — the media wing of the Bangladesh Armed Forces — told Arab News that fighting in the situation was “under control” on Sunday, but three of the injured were in critical condition.
“The injured are being provided with the highest level of care and treatment and are receiving the best possible medical attention,” he said.
The Bangladeshi military has released the names of the killed and injured troops. Among the wounded are three women peacekeepers.
Sudan has been embroiled in a deadly civil war between the internationally recognized government controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group, since April 2023.
The Sudanese army issued a statement blaming the RSF for the attack on UN peacekeepers. The RSF has denied responsibility, according to its Telegram channel.
The Bangladeshi military only said it blamed “separatists,” without further details.
“The investigation process will be carried out according to UN protocol. In this mission, we are part of the UN, so we cannot do anything outside of UN procedures. The UN will follow its due course in this regard,” Chowdhury said.
“We don’t have any other details at the moment.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack as “horrific” in a statement on Sunday.
“Attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law,” he said. “There will need to be accountability.”
Bangladesh is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions, and its troops have long been deployed in Abyei.
At present, 6,359 Bangladeshi peacekeepers from the army, navy and air force are deployed in eight ongoing UN peacekeeping operations across eight countries.
Of these, about 2,000 are currently in Sudan and South Sudan.
