UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk Warns Drone Strikes Killed 880 Civilians in Sudan

The UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned that Sudan’s conflict is moving toward an even deadlier phase as armed drone strikes killed at least 880 civilians between January and April 2026.

“Shendi, Sudan — A drone was launched; Sudan said airport officials that its paramilitary forces targeted Khartoum's international airport on Monday, but it was shot down before hitting the target”

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Türk said the drone strikes accounted for more than 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths during that period, and described the “Armed drones have now become by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths.”

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The UN said the Kordofan region recorded most of the civilian deaths attributed to drone strikes, and it pointed to a May 8 incident in which drones struck Al Quz in South Kordofan and near El Obeid in North Kordofan, killing 26 civilians and injuring others.

The UN also said drone use is spreading beyond Kordofan and Darfur to Blue Nile, White Nile, and Khartoum, including a May 4 strike on Khartoum International Airport that disrupted all flights.

Türk warned that the increasing reliance on drones allows hostilities to continue unabated in the approaching rainy season, which in the past has brought about a lull in ground operations.

The UN said marketplaces suffered at least 28 attacks in the past four months and that 12 strikes targeted health facilities, forcing hospitals and clinics to close or severely limit their operations.

Türk described armed drones as “the principal cause” of civilian casualties in Sudan, saying the technology now allows military operations to continue despite the approaching rainy season.

Al-Monitor

In Delling, capital of South Kordofan, artillery shelling by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied force, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement North led by Abdelaziz El Hilu (SPLM-N), killed at least 10 civilians and injured dozens on Tuesday.

A relative of one of the victims told Radio Dabanga that shells fired from the western side of the city caused widespread casualties, and the Delling Emergency Coordination Council condemned the attack as a serious violation of human rights law.

The UN also warned that heightened violence would disrupt provision of critical humanitarian assistance and increase risks of famine and acute food insecurity, including in Kordofan.

Beyond the UN’s drone-focused warnings, Ethiopia rejected Sudan’s claims about the strike and accused Khartoum of backing the Tigray People's Liberation Front rebels.

“Khartoum / Omdurman / El Obeid / El Goz Locality / Dibebad / Delling / Kadugli / El Takma / Habila / Katur / Tawila Locality / El Fasher / Nyala / El Geneina / Adkong / Karnoi / Ed Duweim / El Tina / Um Baru Locality / Gereida Locality — Sudan's worsening humanitarian crisis deepened sharply on Tuesday as the United Nations warned that drone warfare, artillery shelling, fires in displacement camps, and intercommunal violence are driving the country towards an even bloodier phase of conflict”

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Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry described the claims that drones—including the one that struck Khartoum International Airport—were launched from its territory as baseless, and said Ethiopia had exercised restraint and refrained from publicizing serious violations of the safety of its territory.

During a joint press conference, Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohyiddin Salem said Sudan summoned its ambassador to Ethiopia for 'consultations', while Sudanese Armed Forces spokesperson Brig. Gen. Asim Awad Abdel Wahab said: 'What Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates have done is a direct aggression against Sudan, and this will not go unanswered'.

The UN Human Rights Chief warned that intensification of hostilities in the coming weeks risks hostilities expanding even further to central and eastern states, with lethal consequences for civilians across enormous areas.

Türk said the conflict is on the cusp of entering yet another new, even deadlier phase unless action is taken without delay, and he called for robust measures to prevent the transfer of arms, including increasingly advanced armed drones, to the parties in Sudan.