The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, reported on Monday that drone strikes in Sudan have killed over 1,000 civilians between January and May 2026, marking a sharp escalation in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the ongoing conflict. Speaking before the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk highlighted a significant increase in drone attacks, as well as a rise in rape and sexual violence, as the war enters its fourth year.
The conflict, which began on April 15, 2023, with a power struggle between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has resulted in at least 59,000 deaths over three years, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). ACLED noted that the actual death toll is likely higher due to reporting challenges.
In 2025 alone, drone-related deaths surged by 600%, with attacks increasing by 81% compared to the previous year. A recent drone strike by the RSF last week killed at least 15 people when it hit a cemetery and a gas station in the central city of el-Obeid, according to local health officials.
Both warring parties have increasingly deployed explosive-laden drones targeting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, dams, schools, markets, and displacement camps. The United Kingdom's Minister for Africa and International Development, Jenny Chapman, condemned the attacks, stating that the conflict is evolving and urged organizations to document abuses and preserve evidence to break the cycle of impunity.
The war has created the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with approximately 34 million people—nearly two-thirds of Sudan's population—in need of assistance, according to the UN. Urban areas have been devastated, and atrocities such as mass rape and ethnically motivated killings have been documented, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the UN and international rights groups.