Six UN Peacekeepers Killed; Staff Detained in Yemen

Six U.N. peacekeepers from Bangladesh were killed and nine others wounded in a drone strike on a U.N. logistics base in Sudan’s South Kordofan region on Dec. 13. The United Nations Security Council condemned the assault as “heinous and deliberate,” calling it a grave violation of international law and warning that attacks on peacekeepers may constitute war crimes. The council urged a swift investigation and accountability for those responsible.

Meanwhile, in South Sudan, a U.N. interpreter died while in the custody of local security forces. The interpreter, Bol Roch Mayol, had worked with the U.N. mission since its establishment in 2011. He was reportedly taken from a U.N. vehicle by soldiers after it stopped due to a flat tire near the northern town of Wau, following a routine patrol to a displacement camp.

U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organization was seeking Mayol’s release when it was informed he had died in custody. South Sudanese authorities later arrested an army lieutenant and two soldiers who allegedly admitted to the killing and revealed the location of the body. The U.N. has demanded accountability.

In another troubling development, Yemen’s Houthi rebels detained 10 additional U.N. staff members, bringing the total number of U.N. personnel currently held to 69. The detentions took place in the capital, Sanaa, which is under Houthi control.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned what he described as arbitrary detentions and called for the immediate and unconditional release of the staff members, along with other detainees from nongovernmental organizations and diplomatic missions. He also demanded that charges be dropped against three U.N. staffers referred to a Houthi special criminal court.

The recent incidents add to mounting concerns about the safety of U.N. personnel worldwide. According to Dujarric, more than 300 U.N. staff members were killed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, nearly all of them Palestinians. Over 300 personnel also lost their lives during the decade-long U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, which concluded in December 2023.

“It’s a very worrying trend,” Dujarric said, noting that the U.N. flag and emblem no longer guarantee the protection they once did. “U.N. personnel — whether humanitarian workers, peacekeepers or political envoys — are there for peace. They are there for the people. They need to be respected.”