Six Bangladeshi soldiers serving in the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan, known as UNISFA, have been killed and eight others wounded in a drone attack.
The soldiers were killed in the town of Kadugli in South Kordofan, a region in central Sudan.
The soldiers, who were part of the UNISFA mission, are based in the Abyei area of Sudan and South Sudan but operate in different parts of Sudan.
Following the attack, the Sudanese government issued a statement saying that it was carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is fighting the Sudanese government in a war that began in 2023.
The statement condemned the killings, saying that it was a serious attack on UN operations and assets and that it should not be involved in any conflict.
However, the leadership of the group was quick to deny the government’s accusations, describing them as lies aimed at defaming it.
A farewell ceremony for the slain soldiers was held in Sudan on Monday, December 15, 2025, before they were sent home for burial.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the killings and recalled that targeting the organization’s mission in this way is one of the war crimes.
He said, “These killings are regrettable and cannot be tolerated. Targeting UN peacekeepers is a despicable act and may be considered a war crime under international law.”
The UN-backed peacekeeping mission in Sudan, known as UNISFA, began operating in Sudan in 2011, establishing a base in the Abyei region, which lies between the two countries due to disagreements between the two countries when South Sudan was about to declare its independence from Sudan.
The war in Sudan, which began in 2023, has killed an estimated 40,000 people, with many more suffering from various forms of violence.
