Drone Strikes Kill Over 1,000 Civilians in Sudan

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reported to the Human Rights Council in Geneva that drone strikes killed more than 1,000 civilians in Sudan between January and May 2026. These deaths account for approximately 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian casualties during that period. The war, which began in April 2023 as a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has entered a dangerous fourth year characterized by a 600 percent increase in drone-related deaths in 2025 compared to 2024.

Both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have increasingly targeted civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and markets. Recent escalations include repeated raids on El Obeid, where a strike on a cemetery and gas station killed at least 15 people, and an attack on a fuel station in Rabak on June 25, 2026, which killed two civilians. In western Darfur, the Rapid Support Forces have intensified strikes against the Zaghawa people near Tina, forcing wounded civilians to seek medical care in Chad. Doctors Without Borders reports that over 90 percent of surgical admissions at Tine hospital since February are drone victims.

U.K. Minister Jenny Chapman and other international representatives have condemned the use of externally supplied drones to target civilians and aid workers. While the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project estimates at least 59,000 total deaths, other reports suggest the toll exceeds 150,000. The United Nations describes the situation as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 34 million people requiring assistance.