United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Monday condemned the sharp increase in the use of drones in Sudan’s war, saying that drone attacks killed more than 1,000 civilians during the first five months of this year.
Drone warfare has increasingly become a defining feature of the conflict in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk said: “In Sudan, the horrific conflict has widened and intensified, marked by a sharp increase in the use of drones in warfare.”
He noted that “between January and May 2026, our office documented the killing of more than 1,000 civilians as a result of drone strikes.”
Türk also expressed concern over the widespread reports of rape and sexual violence, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The war, now in its fourth year, has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Some estimates put the death toll at more than 200,000 people, while millions have been displaced inside and outside the country. Famine has also spread in parts of Darfur and Kordofan.
