Sudan drone strikes kill over 880 civilians in four months, UN reports

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said more than 880 civilians were killed by armed drones in Sudan between January and April, making drones the leading cause of civilian deaths in the country's civil war. The fatalities occurred as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) expanded drone attacks beyond Darfur and Kordofan into Khartoum, the Blue Nile and White Nile regions.

The deadliest recent incident was on May 8, when drone strikes in South and North Kordofan killed 26 civilians. Throughout the four‑month period, at least 28 drone attacks hit markets and 12 struck health facilities, forcing hospital closures and forcing residents to travel long distances for care. A drone hit Khartoum International Airport on May 4, halting all flights.

UN High Commissioner Volker Türk warned that the conflict could enter a “deadlier phase” as drones enable continuous fighting ahead of the rainy season. He cautioned that the widening violence threatens to worsen Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, with large parts of the country already facing famine and acute food insecurity, and called for stronger international action to stop the transfer of advanced drones and other weapons to the warring parties.