Sudan conflict intensifies with nearly 700 civilians killed by drone strikes in 2026

Sudan's ongoing civil war has escalated with the United Nations reporting nearly 700 civilian deaths caused by drone strikes since the start of 2026.

The conflict, now entering its fourth year, continues to cause widespread disruption and humanitarian distress across the country.

The UN's humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, highlighted the increasing use of drones in the conflict, particularly in the southern Kordofan region and parts of western Sudan controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders reported two additional deaths and 56 injuries from recent drone strikes in the Darfur region.

UNICEF stated that drones were responsible for nearly 80 percent of the at least 245 children killed or injured during the first three months of 2026.

The agency emphasized that drone attacks have affected children in homes, markets, roads, schools, and health facilities.

This escalation matters as it compounds an already severe humanitarian crisis.

Nearly 34 million people, about two-thirds of Sudan's population, require humanitarian assistance.

The World Food Programme warns that over 19 million face acute hunger, with famine threatening large areas of Darfur and Kordofan.

The conflict began in April 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

The SAF controls much of the east and center, including the capital Khartoum, while the RSF holds the western Darfur region.

Since the conflict's onset, an estimated 14 million people have been displaced internally, with about 4.4 million crossing into neighboring countries such as Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt.

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