OMM Newsroom
UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Friday strongly condemned an escalation in drone attacks across Sudan that killed at least 306 people and injured hundreds more during the first three weeks of October, Anadolu Agency reported.
“The increasing use of drones, already accounting for the majority of conflict-related civilian deaths in Sudan this year, is deeply disturbing and is exacting a horrifying toll,” Türk said.
He said scores of civilians had been killed and vital infrastructure and services they depended on destroyed, driving further displacement and worsening the humanitarian crisis. Türk renewed his call for the parties to the conflict to meet their obligations under international law.
Türk said his office had documented strikes attributed to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The attacks affected residential buildings, marketplaces, medical facilities, shelters for displaced people and essential infrastructure.
The office cited alleged SAF drone strikes on displacement shelters in West Kordofan between Oct. 6 and 10 that killed at least 25 civilians, and an alleged RSF strike near a displacement site in Blue Nile on Oct. 9 that killed at least 31 people. A repeated strike on a transport truck in West Kordofan on Oct. 18 left at least 139 people dead.
Türk urged both parties to comply with international humanitarian law, protect civilians and agree to a ceasefire. He also called for an end to arms transfers that contribute to violations.
He said a negotiated settlement centred on human rights and accountability was essential for sustainable peace. Sudan’s civil war has continued since 2023 and has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
