Khartoum, Dec 14 : At least six UN peacekeepers were killed and seven others wounded when a United Nations facility in Kadugli, the capital of Sudan's South Kordofan State, was struck in a drone attack, Sudanese authorities said.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out the strike, a claim the RSF denied, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to an SAF statement, the drone fired three missiles at the UN headquarters and the Bangladesh Battalion, setting a UN storage facility on fire. All the casualties were members of the Bangladesh Battalion, which is part of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei, a disputed area between Sudan and South Sudan.

In a separate statement, Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, which backs the SAF, condemned what it described as an RSF drone attack on UN premises in Kadugli, calling it a serious violation of international humanitarian law and the protections afforded to UN facilities.

"Targeting a protected UN facility represents a dangerous escalation and criminal behavior amounting to an organized terrorist act," the council said, adding that the attack poses a direct threat to humanitarian and international missions.

The council held the RSF "fully responsible" and urged the United Nations and the international community to take firm measures to protect UN facilities and humanitarian personnel and to hold those responsible accountable under international law.

The RSF, however, denied carrying out any aerial attack on the UN facility. In a statement, it rejected the allegations as "baseless," saying they were an attempt to fabricate accusations against its forces.

The RSF claimed its record is "entirely free" of attacks on international organizations, adding that it has previously worked to protect UN facilities and ensure the safety of humanitarian workers. It called on international bodies to verify information carefully.

Sudan has been engulfed in a deadly conflict since April 15, 2023, when fighting broke out between the SAF and the RSF, leaving tens of thousands dead and millions displaced inside the country and across its borders.

/IANS