Speaker says Dec. 13 drone strike killed six UN peacekeepers; urges continued mission presence

An unidentified speaker said a drone strike on Dec. 13 killed six United Nations peacekeepers serving with the small UN mission along the border between South Sudan and Sudan, and urged maintaining the mission to preserve security in the area.

The speaker, first heard in SEG 001, described the operation as "a small UN mission straddled between South Sudan and Sudan in, dry savanna type of environment." They said two major local groups ' pastoralists and the Dinka ' contest land in the area, increasing risks of armed clashes.

"The presence of the force is important," the speaker said, adding that the mission's neutrality helps prevent open fighting: "I mean, if UNICEFAR is not there, they'll be fighting over there." The transcript uses several variant acronyms for the mission; the speaker repeatedly framed the UN presence as a neutral buffer between competing local claims.

On the reported attack, the speaker said, "the thirteenth December, where we suffered a drone strike leading to the death of 6 peacekeepers, was unfortunate," using the transcript's wording. The speaker did not specify the year of the attack in the transcript; the date is given only as "thirteenth December." No additional details about the strike's perpetrators or the operation in which the peacekeepers served were provided in the recorded remarks.

The speaker said security must be maintained "until a final determination is made," urging the UN mission to continue to ensure stability and pledging that "the little we can do to support them will continue to do" for the welfare of local people. The remarks concluded with thanks to those involved.

The transcript records no formal vote or policy action; it contains a call for continued UN presence and support but does not document any binding decision or new mandate. Details such as the year of Dec. 13, the attackers' identity, or the mission's specific mandate were not specified in the transcript.