UN warns of deadly drone attacks in Kordofan region as Sudan’s civil war escalates
More than 500 civilians have been killed in drone strikes in Sudan between January and mid-March, the United Nations reported Tuesday, highlighting the growing devastation caused by high-tech weapons in populated areas.
The UN rights office said the majority of casualties occurred in the strategic Kordofan region, where near-daily drone strikes have targeted civilians amid the ongoing civil war between Sudan’s regular army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“In the first two weeks of March alone, over 277 civilians were killed, with more than three-quarters from drone strikes,” UN spokeswoman Marta Hurtado told reporters in Geneva. She emphasized that attacks continued as the holy month of Ramadan ended, including a March 20 strike on the El-Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur, which killed 70 people, including 13 children, Sand injured 146 others.
“The hospital’s emergency, maternity, and pediatric units are fully out of operation, further constraining access to healthcare,” Hurtado said. She warned that drone attacks are spilling across Sudan’s borders, citing a strike on Tine, Chad, on March 18 that killed at least 24 civilians and injured around 60.
The UN stressed that the war in Sudan has left tens of thousands dead and 11 million displaced, fueling the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis. Hurtado called on states to halt arms transfers fueling the conflict and urged renewed diplomatic efforts for an urgent ceasefire.
The escalation of drone attacks in Sudan underscores the deadly impact of modern weapons on civilians and the urgent need for international intervention.
Source: Arab News