Six UN peacekeepers killed in drone attack in Sudan’s Kadugli
December 13, 2025 (KADUGLI) – Six soldiers from the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) were killed on Saturday in a drone strike on a base in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan state, mission sources said.
The Sudanese government blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the attack. The RSF denied responsibility.
This marks the first direct attack on the U.N. mission since the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF began in April 2023. UNISFA is primarily deployed in Abyei, a disputed border region between Sudan and South Sudan.
“Three drones targeted a logistics camp and a fuel station, killing six Bangladeshi nationals and injuring several others, including two in critical condition,” a mission source told Sudan Tribune.
The source declined to attribute the attack to a specific group.
Residents in Kadugli reported heavy shelling on Saturday by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu. The group has besieged the city for months.
Sources suggested the destruction of the fuel depot and camp could force UNISFA to withdraw from Kadugli, potentially paving the way for an advance by SPLM-N forces, who are aligned with the RSF in the area.
Following the attack, the U.N. mission implemented urgent security protocols, including a headcount and advisories for staff to avoid the area.
Sudan’s Sovereign Council condemned the “aerial attack” as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
“The Government of Sudan holds the terrorist RSF militia fully responsible,” the Council said in a statement, urging the international community to hold the perpetrators accountable.
The Sudanese army said the strike destroyed a warehouse and identified the casualties as members of the Bangladeshi battalion.
The RSF rejected the accusations as “lies” intended to tarnish its reputation.
“Our forces categorically deny these lies,” the group said in a statement, adding that it has a documented record of protecting international missions.
Prime Minister Kamil Idris also condemned the strike, describing the RSF as a “terrorist group” for its alleged violations of international norms.
The incident follows a series of drone attacks in South Kordofan blamed on the RSF, including a strike on a hospital and kindergarten in Kalogi that killed 121 people.
A joint siege by the RSF and SPLM-N has cut off supplies to Kadugli and Dilling, leading to famine conditions in Kadugli declared in November.