UN: Drones Kill 880 Sudan Civilians in Four Months
The United Nations Human Rights Office warned on Monday that drone strikes have killed at least 880 civilians in Sudan between January and April 2026, accounting for more than 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths recorded in that period. The drone strikes in Sudan are really causing a lot of problems for civilians, in Sudan. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk issued the alert from Geneva, condemning the growing use of armed unmanned aerial vehicles by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and warning that the war is on the verge of entering an even deadlier phase.
Türk said the scale and speed of the drone campaign have transformed the nature of the conflict. The conflict is not what it used to be because of the drone campaign. “Armed drones have now become by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths” in Sudan, he said in a statement on Monday. He added that such attacks “will only worsen if they are met with utter impunity, with this violence being increasingly normalized as a go-to tactic by both parties.” BloombergBloomberg
The Kordofan region has emerged as one of the deadliest areas affected by the drone campaign. On May 8 alone, drone strikes on Al Quz in South Kordofan and near El Obeid in North Kordofan reportedly killed 26 civilians and wounded several others. Sri Lanka Guardian
Most recorded deaths were concentrated in the Kordofan region and Darfur, according to the UN Human Rights Office’s Sudan team. The use of drones by both the RSF and the SAF is now spreading to other regions, including Blue Nile, White Nile, and Khartoum. BusinessWorld
The expansion of the drone campaign is not confined to front-line areas. Drone strikes are now hitting locations where supplies are transported, where fuel is stored, where media outlets operate, and where humanitarian assistance is being provided. A drone strike near Khartoum International Airport forced flight cancellations, disrupting a vital entry point for the UN and other humanitarian organisations and threatening to delay distribution of supplies. IntunwatchIntunwatch
Critical civilian infrastructure has been repeatedly targeted. At least 28 attacks on markets resulted in civilian casualties during the first four months of the year, while healthcare facilities were hit at least 12 times. In North Kordofan, the state-run television station in El Obeid was damaged, reinforcing the fact that attacks are extending beyond military targets to include government and civilian institutions. Sri Lanka GuardianIntunwatch
In White Nile State, a fuel station and a fuel-filled tanker were reportedly struck during an attack on Kosti, raising serious concerns over fuel shortages and the potential for fire and secondary explosions in urban centres. Intunwatch
A War Without a Seasonal Pause
One of the most significant strategic shifts the UN identified is the drone campaign’s ability to override the calendar. In previous years of the civil war, the rainy season brought a measurable slowdown in ground operations. Drones are enabling fighting to continue during the rainy season, which had previously caused a lull in ground operations, Türk said. BusinessWorld
That change has direct consequences for how far the conflict may spread. “An intensification of hostilities in the coming weeks, as the parties seek to gain or consolidate control of territory amid shifting conflict dynamics, risks hostilities expanding even further to central and eastern states, with lethal consequences for civilians across enormous areas,” Türk said. BusinessWorld
Türk also warned of the compound effect on food security. “Much of the country, including Kordofan, is now facing an increased risk of famine and acute food insecurity, a situation exacerbated by expected delays or shortages of fertilizer as a result of the Gulf crisis,” he said. He added that persistent attacks against healthcare facilities in several states have left many hospitals and clinics low- or non-functional, further increasing risks to civilians displaced from conflict-affected areas. OHCHROHCHR
Regional and Humanitarian Impact
The humanitarian toll is compounding a displacement crisis already ranked among the world’s worst. According to the UN, nearly nine million people are internally displaced in Sudan, while about 4.5 million have fled across borders into neighbouring countries since the war began more than three years ago. Intunwatch
The UN cited International Organization for Migration figures showing that more than 2,600 people were displaced in North Kordofan and about 1,000 in South Kordofan in just one week. The numbers reflect ongoing population movement driven by aerial attacks on civilian areas rather than ground advances alone. Intunwatch
The spread of drone warfare into White Nile State — previously less affected by direct combat — signals a geographic widening of the war. In West Kordofan, at least 152 civilians were reportedly killed by Sudanese army drone strikes, including at least 50 when a market and a hospital were hit. The UN said that a secondary school and a health clinic in Shukeiri village, White Nile State, were struck on March 11, reportedly killing at least 17 civilians, including one health worker. UN NewsUN News
Türk called on governments and international actors to halt weapons transfers to both parties. He called for robust measures to prevent the transfer of arms, including advanced armed drones, to the warring parties. BusinessWorld
Background
Sudan’s civil war began in April 2023 following a breakdown in relations between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti. The two factions had cooperated in a 2019 coup that ousted long-time president Omar al-Bashir, and later in a 2021 military takeover that derailed a democratic transition. Fighting has been most intense in Darfur and the Kordofan region, where the RSF has been accused of ethnically targeted killings. The UN and multiple international bodies have warned since 2023 that the conflict constitutes one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies. Drone warfare began escalating sharply in early 2026, with the UN recording over 500 civilian drone deaths between January 1 and March 15 alone.
What Happens Next
Türk called on all parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians and facilitate safe, voluntary movement away from active combat zones. Türk wants this to happen so that civilians are protected. He demanded that civilians be protected from reprisals, including summary executions, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, and abductions. The UN Human Rights Office said it would continue monitoring drone deployment by both the SAF and RSF as the rainy season approaches in the coming weeks. Türk renewed his call for the international community to enforce arms transfer restrictions without delay, warning that failure to act risks the conflict spreading to central and eastern Sudan. “It will soon be three full years since the senseless conflict in Sudan began, devastating millions of lives and livelihoods. Yet the violence, fueled by these new technologies of war, simply keeps spreading. It is high time it came to an end,” Türk said.
