UN says over 200 civilians killed in 10 days of Sudan drone strikes

MARCH 13 2026 (GENEVA) – U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Thursday he was appalled by the devastating impact of increasing drone attacks on civilians in Sudan, following reports that more than 200 people were killed in Kordofan and White Nile since March 4.

Turk said it was deeply troubling that warring parties continue to use increasingly powerful drones to deploy explosive weapons with wide-area impacts in populated areas despite multiple reminders and appeals. He renewed calls for full compliance with international humanitarian law, specifically the prohibition on targeting civilians and infrastructure.

In West Kordofan, at least 152 civilians have reportedly been killed by Sudanese army drone strikes. This included at least 50 people killed when a market and a hospital were hit on March 4 in El Muglad.

Attacks on two separate markets in Abu Zabad and Wad Banda on March 7 left at least 40 civilians dead. A lorry carrying civilians was also allegedly struck by an army drone in Al Sunut on March 10, reportedly killing at least 50 people, including women and children.

In South Kordofan, at least 39 civilians were reportedly killed, including 14 in the state capital Dilling, due to heavy artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the allied SPLM-North between March 4 and 5.

The High Commissioner also expressed alarm at the recent expansion of the conflict into White Nile state, which has come under heavy attack by RSF drone strikes since March 4. Many homes, schools, and health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, compounding the impact on local communities.

A secondary school and a health clinic in Shukeiri village were hit on March 11, reportedly killing at least 17 civilians, including one health worker. Multiple other RSF drones have hit the state capital, Kosti, since March 4, including a strike on a university dormitory on March 9 that injured seven students.

Another drone hit an electrical transformer at the Um Dabakir station on March 10, causing widespread power outages. Turk noted that the conflict, which began nearly three years ago, continues to spread through new technologies of war.