Eight hundred and eighty people.

That is how many civilians drone strikes killed in Sudan between January and April, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The figure represents more than 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths in that period. Armed drones are, in the words of UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, “by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths” in the country.

Sudan’s civil war — fought between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — erupted in April 2023. The World Health Organization puts the death toll at more than 40,000, with 12 million displaced. Aid groups say the true figure is likely far higher, given the difficulty of documenting fatalities in remote and inaccessible conflict zones.

The drone campaign represents a grim evolution in how the war is fought — and who it kills.

Markets, Hospitals, Homes

The OHCHR documented at least 28 drone attacks on markets and 12 strikes on health facilities between January and April. Some shuttered hospitals entirely, forcing civilians to travel long distances for treatment or go without.

Walid Mohamed, a resident of Kadugli in South Kordofan, told the Associated Press that RSF drone strikes occur almost daily, mainly targeting hospitals, markets, and homes. Omran Ahmed, in the nearby town of Dilling, described strikes “spreading fear and terror among residents as they see more civilians become victims.”

Both sides carry responsibility. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric cited evidence that the SAF and RSF have both used drones against civilians. “These civilians have been at one time or another in government-controlled areas and areas controlled by the RSF, which would make us believe that both sides are using them,” he said. Two military officials, speaking anonymously to the AP, maintained that the army does not target civilian infrastructure. The casualty figures suggest otherwise.

The Rainy Season Won’t Save Them

Drones have also broken Sudan’s seasonal rhythm. The rainy season once brought a natural lull in ground operations. That pause is gone. “This increasing reliance on drones allows hostilities to continue unabated in the approaching rainy season,” Türk warned.

The strikes are spreading. What was once concentrated in Kordofan and Darfur has reached Blue Nile, White Nile, and Khartoum. A drone strike on Khartoum International Airport on May 4 halted all flights. Between April 28 and May 5, targeted attacks hit Khartoum and its sister city of Omdurman — areas where displaced civilians had been slowly trickling back. Türk said the intensity of the attacks had shattered months of relative calm and triggered fears that full-scale fighting would return to the capital.

Federico Donelli, associate professor of international relations at the University of Trieste, told the AP that the SAF’s acquisition of new drones — manufactured and supplied by foreign actors — has enabled heavier reliance on precision strikes, mirroring tactics the RSF has long employed. Both sides may be struggling to maintain troop strength, Donelli added, making drones preferable to deploying ground units in contested areas.

Famine Looms Behind the Front Lines

The consequences reach well beyond the immediate death toll. Much of Sudan faces an increased risk of famine and acute food insecurity, compounded by expected fertilizer shortages linked to the Gulf crisis. Fuel stores and supply routes have been repeatedly struck.

Mathilde Vu, advocacy manager with the Norwegian Refugee Council, described a pattern of indiscriminate strikes. “Between Kordofan, Darfur and the east (Sennar), it’s now every other day we receive messages like ‘drone attack here, hit a civilian infrastructure, killed people,’” she told the AP.

A UN convoy reached Dilling and Kadugli in early May with aid for more than 130,000 people — the first major delivery in three months. Aid workers fear the escalation will choke off what little access remains.

On Notice

Türk called for robust measures to prevent the transfer of arms, including advanced armed drones, to the warring parties. “The international community is on notice that, unless action is taken without delay, this conflict is on the cusp of entering yet another new, even deadlier phase,” he said.

That warning was issued on a Monday in Geneva, competing for attention with a news cycle consumed by the Gulf crisis and the threat of wider war in the Middle East. By then, the number stood at 880. It has almost certainly risen since.

Sources