Drone war could kill more than 1,000 people in Sudan by 2026 as attacks escalate: UN | Sudan War News

Reports suggest drone use is on the rise, with more than 1,000 civilians killed in the first five months of 2026.

More than 1,000 civilians in Sudan have been killed in airstrikes in the first five months of 2026, according to the United Nations.

The death toll is the result of a “significant” increase in the use of drones in the country’s civil war, the head of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Volker Turk. he said you are speaking on Monday.

“In Sudan, the violent conflict has grown and developed, which is characterized by a significant increase in drone attacks,” said the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

In addition to listing more than 1,000 civilians who were killed in the first five months of this year, the UN office also reported a “surge” of sexual violence, including rape.

The war in Africa began in April 2023 when a conflict between Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the head of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, erupted. The war, which started in the capital Khartoum, soon spread to several parts of the country.

After three years of incessant violence, Sudan has become the world’s biggest humanitarian and migration crisis, according to the UN. An estimated 13.6 million people have been displaced, more than 20 million are in need of medical assistance and 21 million are “in need” of food, According to The World Health Organization.

Estimates of the number of deaths vary widely. The armed conflict location and event data project (ACLED) estimates that around 56,000 people have been killed. Some estimates are for over 150,000 people or more.

According to several human rights groups and the UN, the fighting has included mass rape and ethnic cleansing, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Drone controlled conflict

The conflict is not showing signs of improvement, with both sides rapidly changing tactics and relying heavily on drones. In June, ACLED he said The war in Sudan turned last year into a conflict controlled by drones.

“Both sides are in a relentless race to recapture the technology and tactics of their adversaries, to the point of drone-on-drone warfare,” the group said.

The trend has also raised concerns about the increasing use of machines in the military and the need for strong international regulations governing autonomous weapons.

“Independent weapons cannot be a license for violent crimes,” Turk said.