OMM Redaksiyası
The United Nations (UN) has called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, saying the expansion of drone warfare is worsening the country’s severe humanitarian crisis.
More than 6 million people have been internally displaced and another 4.5 million have fled the country since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that civilians face new attacks as fighting intensifies in the Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur regions. He called for an immediate end to military operations, an end to foreign interference and a return to civilian rule.
Drone attacks spread beyond front lines
A UN fact-finding mission has documented the increased use of long-range drones by the SAF and RSF. This has enabled the parties to strike targets far from traditional front lines.
Investigators gathered evidence of deadly attacks on markets, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, including in South Kordofan. Drone strikes on a kindergarten and a hospital killed 114 people, including 60 children. At least 70 people were killed in a separate attack on a teaching hospital.
The destruction of healthcare facilities has placed Sudan’s medical system under even greater pressure after years of conflict. As a result, civilians’ access to treatment is becoming increasingly limited.
UN investigators said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both sides had committed serious violations of international humanitarian law. Some of these violations may amount to war crimes, they said.
Conflict has lasted more than three years
The conflict in Sudan began in April 2023, when a power struggle between the SAF, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, headed by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, escalated into open war.
Despite repeated international efforts to secure a ceasefire, fighting has continued to spread across different parts of the country. The conflict has created one of the world’s largest displacement and humanitarian crises.
