At least 880 civilians were killed in drone strikes across Sudan between January and April 2025, according to a United Nations report released Monday. The UN rights office warned that the escalating use of armed drones is pushing the country's civil war into a more lethal phase, more than three years after fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that drone strikes now account for more than 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths in the period. “Armed drones have become by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths,” Türk said in a statement, noting that the technology allows fighting to continue unabated even during the rainy season, which historically saw a lull in hostilities.
Geographic Spread and Civilian Impact
The majority of drone strike fatalities in the first quarter of 2025 were recorded in the Kordofan region and Darfur, but the UN documented a worrying expansion of attacks into Blue Nile, White Nile, and Khartoum states. The most recent strikes on 8 May hit Al Quoz in South Kordofan and near El Obeid in North Kordofan, reportedly killing 26 civilians and injuring many others.
Both belligerents have used drones to repeatedly target civilian infrastructure, including markets and health facilities. At least 28 market attacks resulting in civilian casualties were recorded in the first four months of the year, and health facilities have been hit at least 12 times. The UN rights office said these strikes are “diminishing access to sufficient food, clean water and health care.”
Türk warned that an intensification of hostilities in the coming weeks could expand the conflict to central and eastern states, with “lethal consequences for civilians across enormous areas.” He added, “Unless action is taken without delay,” the war—which has already killed tens of thousands, displaced over 11 million, and pushed several regions into famine—will enter “yet another new, even deadlier phase.”
The humanitarian situation is further aggravated by fertiliser shortages linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East, exacerbating the risk of famine in Kordofan and other regions. The UN report underscores the urgent need for international intervention to curb the use of drones against civilians and to ensure the delivery of critical aid.
This development echoes broader concerns about drone warfare globally. In Europe, similar technologies have been deployed in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, where Russian drone barrages have hit residential areas, and in the Baltic region, where drone incursions have sparked fires. European nations are also investing in countermeasures, as seen in Germany's Telekom and Rheinmetall partnership to build a drone defence shield.
