DHAKA: At least six Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed, and eight were injured, in a drone attack on a United Nations base in Abyei, Sudan, the Bangladesh Army said on Saturday (Dec 13).
“The situation in the area is still unstable, and clashes with terrorists are ongoing,” it said in a statement, adding that the authorities were doing their best to provide medical treatment and rescue operations for those injured.
Bangladesh is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions, and its troops have long been deployed in Abyei, a volatile region disputed between Sudan and South Sudan.
All the victims are Bangladeshi nationals, serving in the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei, UNISFA.
“Attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called for those responsible for the “unjustifiable” attack to be held to account.
The Sudanese military blamed the attack on the Rapid Support Forces, a notorious paramilitary group at war with the army for the control of the country for more than two years.
The attack “clearly reveals the subversive approach of the rebel militia and those behind it,” the military said in a statement.