Drone strikes killed over 1,000 civilians in Sudan in first five months of 2026, UN reports

UN reports over 1,000 civilian deaths from drones

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk opened a session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday with figures showing a sharp rise in drone‑related fatalities. His office documented the killing of more than 1,000 civilians in Sudan between January and May 2026.

“In Sudan, the horrific conflict has expanded and escalated, marked by a sharp increase in the use of drone warfare.”

Drone warfare becomes central to the conflict

Both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have intensified their use of drones. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) says the war has become drone‑dominated, with both sides rapidly upgrading tactics and engaging in drone‑on‑drone combat. Long‑range drones have also struck humanitarian convoys and critical energy infrastructure. The shift has raised alarms about the growing role of remote weaponry without adequate international controls.

Humanitarian toll deepens

Beyond the drone toll, Türk said sexual violence is “rampant” across Sudan. The UN categorises Sudan as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with 13.6 million displaced, 20 million requiring health assistance and 21 million in desperate need of food. In neighbouring Chad, which hosts some one million Sudanese refugees, Médecins Sans Frontières announced Monday it had fired 18 staff members over sexual exploitation and abuse reported by Sudanese women.

Displaced13.6

Health assistance20

Food insecure21

Displaced

13.6 million people

Health assistance

20 million people

Food insecure

21 million people

Data from the article text

Three years of war

The conflict erupted in April 2023 when a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo turned violent. Overall death‑toll estimates range widely, from 56,000 according to ACLED to more than 200,000, with mass rape and ethnically motivated killings reported by multiple human rights bodies. The violence recently intensified in South Kordofan and Blue Nile state after the RSF captured El‑Fasher, the army’s last major stronghold in western Darfur, in October last year.

Call for regulation of autonomous weapons

Türk’s warning follows growing calls for international rules on lethal autonomous systems.

“Autonomous weapons cannot become a license for atrocity crimes.”