On Saturday, December 13, 2025, a drone strike on the United Nations peacekeepers’ compound in Kadugli, South Kordofan, marked a grim milestone in Sudan’s ongoing war. Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers lost their lives, and at least six others were wounded—four of them seriously—in what the United Nations has called the deadliest single incident involving its personnel in Sudan since the country’s civil war erupted over two years ago. The attack, which left the base in flames and thick plumes of smoke rising over Kadugli, has triggered sharp condemnation, heated accusations, and renewed scrutiny of the conflict’s brutal trajectory.
The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), which has maintained a peacekeeping presence in the region since 2011, confirmed the casualties. In a statement, the mission said, “Six troops were killed and six injured,” all from Bangladesh, following the drone’s strike on their camp. The attack also torched a warehouse, compounding the devastation. According to AFP, a medical source at Kadugli’s hospital reported, “Six people were killed in a bombing of the UN headquarters while they were inside the building.” Video footage circulating on social media showed the aftermath: fires blazing and two columns of black smoke billowing from the compound, a stark testament to the violence that has engulfed the region.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres was unequivocal in his condemnation. Writing on X, he declared, “Attacks against U.N. peacekeepers like this one are unjustifiable and may constitute war crimes.” He further added, “There will need to be accountability.” The gravity of the incident, he suggested, could bring international legal consequences for those responsible.
Bangladesh, one of the world’s largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions, responded with outrage and grief. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus expressed his sorrow, saying he was “deeply saddened” by the loss and requested that the United Nations provide “any necessary emergency support” to Bangladeshi personnel. “The government of Bangladesh will stand by the families in this difficult moment,” Yunus assured, as reported by AFP. Bangladesh’s foreign ministry echoed these sentiments, stating it “strongly condemned” the attack.
The blame for the strike quickly became a flashpoint in Sudan’s deeply fractured political landscape. The Sudanese army-aligned government, operating out of Port Sudan, pointed the finger at the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accusing them of launching the drone attack. In a statement, the government called the incident a “dangerous escalation.” Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris went further, labeling the RSF a “terrorist group” and urging the United Nations to “bring the perpetrators to justice.” The RSF, for its part, issued a denial via Telegram, rejecting “the claims and allegations... regarding an air attack that targeted the United Nations headquarters in Kadugli, and the accompanying false accusations against our forces of being behind it through the use of a drone.”
The attack comes at a time when the RSF has been gaining ground in Sudan’s western and southwestern regions. In late October, the RSF captured El-Fasher, the Sudanese army’s last stronghold in Darfur, after an 18-month siege. That victory consolidated the RSF’s dominance in Darfur, but also brought global condemnation for reported atrocities by its forces. According to The New York Times, these included massacres, torture, and rape—often targeting civilians fleeing El-Fasher. The RSF’s main foreign sponsor, the United Arab Emirates, has come under scrutiny as well; American officials allege the Emirates have supplied drones and other weaponry to the RSF, though the UAE denies supporting either side.
After seizing El-Fasher, the RSF pushed eastward into Kordofan—a vast agricultural and oil-rich region that serves as a strategic corridor between RSF-held Darfur and government-controlled areas in Sudan’s north, east, and center. Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, has been under siege by the RSF for a year and a half, with famine officially declared there in early November 2025. The United Nations base hit by Saturday’s drone strike is located about 70 miles northeast of the Heglig oil field, one of Sudan’s largest, which the RSF seized earlier in the week. As the RSF advances, reports of atrocities have continued: just last week, strikes on a kindergarten and hospital in Kalogi, South Kordofan, killed 114 people, including 63 children, according to the World Health Organization.
The UNISFA peacekeeping force, deployed to the disputed oil-rich Abyei region since 2011, had largely managed to stay out of Sudan’s civil war until the fighting spilled into their area in recent days. The mission, which had an authorized strength of 3,250 peacekeepers and 640 police personnel as of 2022, was originally established to help maintain peace between Sudan and South Sudan after the latter’s secession and the subsequent dispute over Abyei. Ethiopian troops initially formed the backbone of the force, but over time, contingents from other nations—including Bangladesh—joined the mission. According to The New York Times, this latest attack is the deadliest suffered by UN forces in Sudan since a June 2025 ambush on an aid convoy killed five people.
Bangladesh’s military, in a statement, confirmed ongoing instability and continued clashes in the area, adding that authorities were doing their utmost to rescue and treat the wounded. The situation on the ground remains dangerous, with the RSF’s use of drones and allied militias complicating efforts to establish humanitarian corridors or protect civilians.
Sudan’s war, which erupted in April 2023 between the RSF and the military, has already caused tens of thousands of deaths, displaced millions, and created one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. Despite international efforts, including a November 2025 announcement by US President Donald Trump—following talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—that he would move to end the conflict, no concrete peace initiative has materialized. For now, the violence continues to escalate, with peacekeepers and civilians alike bearing the brunt.
As the dust settles over Kadugli, the international community is left grappling with the implications of the attack—not just for the safety of peacekeepers, but for the future of Sudan itself. The deaths of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers underscore the dangers facing those who attempt to bring stability to conflict zones, as well as the urgent need for renewed diplomatic efforts to halt a war that shows no sign of abating.