Multiple outlets report that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, says drone strikes in Sudan have killed more than 1,000 civilians in the first five months of 2026. The reports cite UN documentation indicating a sharp increase in drone warfare as the conflict continues. UN officials attribute the rise in civilian deaths to expanding use of drones during the three-year war.
The coverage places the figures in the broader context of the wider humanitarian impact of the conflict. PBS NewsHour reports that the war has killed at least 59,000 people over roughly three years and that it has produced the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, affecting around 34 million people. Other reports also note allegations of other abuses associated with the fighting, including rape and sexual violence, alongside the documented increase in drone attacks.
Several sources reference Sudan’s conflict beginning in 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces across Khartoum and other areas. The UN statements described in these articles focus on civilian harm from drone strikes and the growing scale of such attacks in 2026.
