Published on: 2026-10-23
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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October 23, 2026 Peace and Security
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday strongly condemned the sharp escalation of drone strikes on the territory of Sudan and their devastating consequences for the civilian population in Kordofan, Darfur, Blue Nile, Khartoum, and other states of the country.
In the first three weeks of October, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented at least 306 cases of deaths resulting from drone strikes, with hundreds of people injured.
According to available data, the attacks were carried out by both the Armed Forces of Sudan and the opposing Rapid Support Forces. Civilian objects and infrastructure were targeted, including residential buildings, markets, hospitals, places of displaced persons’ accommodation, as well as power plants and water supply sources.
“The increasingly widespread use of drones, which now account for the majority of conflict-related civilian deaths in Sudan this year, causes deep concern and leads to horrifying consequences,” said Turk.
“Dozens of civilians have died, and vital infrastructure and services essential to their existence are effectively being destroyed, causing new waves of displacement and further exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis,” the High Commissioner noted, once again urging the parties to the conflict to comply with international humanitarian law, including the prohibition of attacks on civilians and civilian objects.
Strikes on displaced persons camps
The OHCHR is particularly concerned about a new trend identified by human rights activists: numerous drone strikes on locations where displaced persons, who have already been forced to flee the fighting, are staying.
Between October 6 and 10, drone strikes on shelters for displaced persons in Gubeisha and En-Nuhud in West Kordofan state killed at least 25 civilians, and another 31 were injured, including women and children. In Abu Shendi, in Blue Nile state, on October 9, a drone attacked a group of displaced persons engaged in artisanal gold mining near a resettlement camp, killing more than 30 people.
Attacks on gold mining areas are part of the “war economy” fueling the conflict. They raise serious concerns among human rights defenders, as such targets hold economic value for the enemy and may be deliberately chosen.
Attacks are carried out against vehicles as well as places where civilians gather. For instance, on October 18, at least 139 people were killed and dozens more injured when a truck was hit in the Dibab area of West Kordofan, which is under the control of the Rapid Support Forces.
Strikes on busy markets and medical facilities also continue. As a result of an attack attributed to the Rapid Response Forces on a hospital in the Blue Nile state on October 11, two medical workers were seriously injured, and the hospital itself ceased to function.
Call for a ceasefire
“I call on both sides of the conflict and their associated structures to commit to a ceasefire,” said the High Commissioner.
Volker Türk emphasized that resolving the conflict through negotiations, based on respect for human rights and backed by guarantees of holding those responsible for violations and abuses accountable, remains the only real path to achieving sustainable peace in Sudan.
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