Drone Strike Kills Six Bangladeshi UN Peacekeepers in Sudan

At least six Bangladeshi U.N. peacekeepers were killed and eight others wounded on Saturday when a drone struck a United Nations logistics facility linked to the U.N. Interim Security Force for Abyei, officials said. The victims were serving with UNISFA, the mission tasked with keeping the peace around the disputed Abyei area between Sudan and South Sudan.

Reports of the strike place the target at a logistics base used to support UNISFA operations, though accounts differ on the base name and exact administrative location. Some descriptions identify the site as Kadugali within the Abyei disputed region, while others locate it in the city of Kadugli in South Kordofan. The discrepancy underscores the fluid and contested geography of the conflict zone and officials have urged verification from U.N. mission authorities and national contingents.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, calling it "horrific" and warning that such strikes "may constitute war crimes." Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus denounced the action as a "serious crime against 'international peace and humanity,'" and said his government would stand by the families of the victims while asking the U.N. to provide emergency support to affected personnel.

Initial accounts describe the incident as a drone strike on support infrastructure rather than on a front line. That distinction matters for operational and legal reasons. Logistics hubs are central to sustaining U.N. patrols, humanitarian convoys and medical evacuation capacity. Damage to such infrastructure can degrade mission effectiveness and impede assistance to civilians in conflict affected areas.

Attribution remains contested. Sudanese military statements have blamed the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group for the attack, but independent verification of responsibility and forensic details of the weapon used have not been published. U.N. officials and member states are expected to press for a formal investigation to establish the facts, identify perpetrators and determine whether international humanitarian law has been violated.

The strike will intensify debates in New York and among troop contributing countries about the risks of deploying personnel in active combat zones and about the rules of engagement and protective measures for non combat support sites. Bangladesh is one of the largest troop contributors to U.N. peacekeeping missions, and the loss of national personnel in a single incident will likely prompt reassessments in Dhaka of future deployments and of on the ground safeguarding protocols.

Beyond immediate operational repercussions, the episode may shape diplomatic moves aimed at stabilizing Sudan and protecting humanitarian operations. Attacks against U.N. personnel carry heavy legal and political consequences. The Secretary General's invocation of possible war crimes signals that member states and U.N. bodies may seek accountability through investigations, evidence collection and referral mechanisms.

UNISFA, the U.N. Department of Peace Operations and Bangladeshi authorities have been asked to provide further details on the timeline, location and the number of casualties. International officials said they expect formal updates and investigative findings in the coming days as emergency support is mobilized for families and survivors.