More than 1,000 civilians were killed in drone strikes across Sudan between January and May 2026, according to the United Nations, which highlighted the growing impact of drone warfare in the country’s ongoing conflict.
Speaking to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, June 15, Volker Türk said his office had documented a sharp rise in drone attacks, alongside widespread rape and sexual violence, as Sudan’s war entered its fourth year.
Türk said over 1,000 civilian deaths linked to drone strikes were recorded during the first five months of the year, describing the conflict as increasingly characterized by the use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
The war erupted on 15 April 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, leading to widespread fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and other parts of the country.
According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), at least 59,000 people have been killed since the conflict began, although the actual death toll is believed to be significantly higher due to reporting challenges. ACLED reported that at least 2,670 people, including civilians and combatants, were killed in drone-related attacks in 2025, representing a 600 per cent increase in deaths and an 81 per cent rise in drone strikes compared with 2024.
The latest major drone attack occurred last week when a strike attributed to the RSF hit a cemetery and a fuel station in the central city of El Obeid, killing at least 15 people. British Minister for Africa and International Development Jenny Chapman condemned the increasing use of drones, saying both sides in the conflict were targeting civilians and humanitarian workers with weapons supplied by external backers.
Drone attacks have increasingly struck civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, dams, markets and displacement camps, making them one of the deadliest threats to civilians in Sudan.
The conflict has triggered what the UN describes as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with approximately 34 million people—nearly two-thirds of Sudan’s population—requiring humanitarian assistance. The UN and international human rights organizations have also documented widespread atrocities, including mass rape, sexual violence and ethnically motivated killings that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
