Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers serving with the United Nations mission in Sudan’s Abyei region were killed after terrorists launched an attack on a UN base on Saturday, December 13, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
In a statement posted on the verified Facebook page of the Bangladesh Army, ISPR said a total of 14 Bangladeshi peacekeepers were casualties in the surprise attack on a UN peacekeeping camp in Abyei. Among them, six were killed and eight sustained injuries.
The army said the situation in the area remains unstable, with clashes continuing between peacekeepers and armed attackers. Authorities are making all-out efforts to rescue the injured personnel and ensure they receive necessary medical treatment.
ISPR added that further details will be shared as more information becomes available.
Bangladesh has been contributing a battalion to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) since 2022. The mission was established to maintain peace and security in the disputed Abyei region, which has remained volatile since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.
Although Abyei is often described as oil-rich, most of its oil fields were placed outside the region following a 2009 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. The conflict in the area is driven largely by long-standing ethnic tensions rather than economic factors.
The deaths of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers mark one of the deadliest incidents involving the country’s UN forces in recent years, drawing renewed attention to the risks faced by peacekeepers in conflict zones.
