The UN reports a "sharp increase" in drone warfare in Sudan has killed over 1,000 civilians in the first five months of 2026. The civil war, which began in April 2023 between the army and paramilitary RSF, has created the world's largest displacement and hunger crises. UN rights chief Volker Türk condemned the escalating violence, which also includes rampant sexual violence and may constitute war crimes.
Drone strike civilian deaths
- ▪According to ACLED, at least 2,670 people were killed by drones in Sudan in 2025, a 600% increase in drone-related deaths from 2024
- ▪Both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have used explosive-laden drones to target civilian infrastructure like hospitals and schools
- ▪A drone strike in the city of El-Obeid in early June 2026 killed 23 people, according to a rights group and witnesses
- ▪The UN reported that over 1,000 civilians were killed by drone strikes in Sudan between January and May 2026
- ▪UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk noted a "sharp increase" in the use of drone warfare in Sudan's conflict
Sudan civil war origins
- ▪The civil war in Sudan began in April 2023 as a power struggle between the regular army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
- ▪The war has killed at least 59,000 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), though other estimates are higher
- ▪According to the World Health Organization, about 13.6 million people in Sudan are currently displaced, creating the world's largest displacement crisis
- ▪The UN describes the situation in Sudan as the world's largest hunger crisis, with 21 million people needing food according to the WHO
- ▪The conflict is between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo
- ▪The Norwegian Refugee Council described the war in Sudan in June 2026 as one of the world's most neglected crises
Foreign drone supply networks
- ▪The war-tracking group ACLED reported in June 2026 that Sudan's war had transformed into a drone-dominated conflict
- ▪UK Minister for Africa Jenny Chapman stated that Sudan's warring parties use drones supplied by their backers to target civilians
Sexual violence war crimes
- ▪The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan warned that warring parties are increasingly using arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearance
- ▪UN rights chief Volker Türk reported that "rape and sexual violence are rampant" in Sudan
- ▪The UN mission stated that widespread violations of international law by the SAF and RSF may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity
International accountability demands
- ▪Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the UN Fact-Finding Mission, said civilians "bear the overwhelming burden of this conflict."
- ▪UK Minister for Africa Jenny Chapman called the use of drones to target civilians "deplorable" and demanded it "must stop."
- ▪Jenny Chapman emphasized the need for organizations to document abuses and preserve evidence to break the cycle of impunity in Sudan
- ▪UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the increase in drone warfare in an address to the UN Human Rights Council
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