UN Condemns Dreadful Toll of Drone Attacks in Sudan

The United Nations on Friday condemned the deadly escalation in the use of drones in Sudan this month, reporting that it had documented the deaths of more than 300 people as a result of these attacks.

The UN called on the international community to intensify efforts to curb the flow of drones to both parties in Sudan’s war, particularly those used in attacks that harm civilians.

In a statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said: “The increasing use of drones, which have already caused the majority of conflict-related civilian deaths in Sudan this year, is extremely alarming and is resulting in a horrific toll.”

He added: “Dozens of civilians have been killed, and critical infrastructure and essential services on which they depend have been destroyed, leading to increased displacement and deepening an already extremely grave humanitarian crisis.”

Humanitarian workers estimate that the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in April 2023, has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced over 13 million others, creating the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis.

The UN Human Rights Office reported that it had documented at least 306 deaths and hundreds of injuries resulting from drone strikes during the first three weeks of October.