Sudan drone strikes killed over 1,000 in first five months of 2026: UN

The UN rights chief decried Monday a “sharp increase” in the use of drone warfare in conflict-torn Sudan, with more than 1,000 civilians killed in such strikes during the first five months of 2026.

Drone warfare has become an increasingly prominent feature of Sudan’s conflict since it erupted in April 2023 between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“In Sudan, the horrific conflict has expanded and escalated, marked by a sharp increase in the use of drone warfare,” said UN rights chief Volker Turk.

“Between January and May 2026, our office documented more than 1,000 civilians killed by drone strikes,” he said in an opening address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

He also lamented that “rape and sexual violence are rampant”.

The wider conflict in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than 11 million from their homes, creating what the United Nations describes as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises.