Play store
The United Nations said Friday it had documented at least 306 deaths from drone attacks in Sudan during the first three weeks of October, condemning a deadly escalation in the country’s ongoing civil war.
The UN called on the international community to take stronger action to curb the flow of drones into Sudan, particularly those used in attacks causing civilian casualties.
“The increasing use of drones, already accounting for the majority of conflict-related civilian deaths in Sudan this year, is deeply disturbing and is exacting a horrifying toll,” UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
He said the attacks had killed scores of civilians and devastated vital infrastructure and services, triggering further displacement and worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis.
According to the UN Human Rights Office, drone strikes attributed to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed at least 306 people and injured hundreds during the first three weeks of October.
The attacks struck civilian facilities and infrastructure, including homes, markets, hospitals, displacement sites, power stations and water sources, the office said.
The war between the SAF and the RSF erupted in April 2023. Aid workers estimate that the conflict has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced over 13 million, creating the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises.
Turk urged both sides to comply with international humanitarian law, including the obligation to protect civilians and refrain from targeting them.
He also called for broader peace efforts to address the continued flow of weapons fuelling the conflict.
“Broader peace efforts must squarely address the continued influx of arms that is fuelling the conflict and press for an end to the transfer of arms that are used in manifest disregard of the IHL obligations protecting civilians,” he said.
