At least 880 civilians were killed in drone strikes in Sudan between January and April this year, the United Nations said on May 11, warning that the war is entering a deadlier phase as armed drones reshape the conflict.
The UN rights office said its Sudan team had determined that drone strikes accounted for more than 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths during that period. UN rights chief Volker Türk said armed drones have become the leading cause of civilian deaths. He warned that unless action is taken quickly, the war could move into "yet another new, even deadlier phase."
Most of the civilian deaths were recorded in Kordofan and Darfur, according to the UN. But the strikes have also spread beyond those areas into Blue Nile, White Nile and Khartoum. The rights office said the widening geography of attacks means the pattern is no longer confined to the country's long-troubled western and central conflict zones.
The UN said the escalation matters because drone warfare allows the fighting to continue even during the rainy season, when conflict in Sudan has historically slowed. Türk said intensified hostilities in the coming weeks could push violence further into central and eastern states, with deadly consequences across a very large area.
The conflict has already killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 11 million, while parts of the country face famine. The UN also said drone strikes have repeatedly targeted civilian objects and infrastructure, reducing access to food, clean water and health care.
Markets have been hit at least 28 times in the first four months of the year, with civilian casualties recorded in those attacks. Health facilities have been struck at least 12 times, further squeezing an already weakened medical system. The rights office said those attacks are making it harder to deliver humanitarian aid and are worsening risks of famine and acute food insecurity.
The most recent strikes cited by the UN occurred on May 8, when drones hit Al Quoz in South Kordofan and an area near El Obeid in North Kordofan. The rights office said those attacks reportedly killed 26 civilians and injured others.
The report adds a grim measure of scale to a war that has already upended Sudan's social fabric. Drones are no longer a side feature of the conflict; in the UN's telling, they are central to the current toll on civilians and a sign that the war is spreading, not easing.
