Sudan drone strikes kill hundreds as warring parties target civilian sites
April 7, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s warring parties have intensified the use of drones to target residential areas and civilian infrastructure, killing hundreds of people and destroying vital facilities in the first quarter of 2026.
Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) and local emergency rooms show a surge in the use of suicide and loitering munitions since the start of the year. The escalation has turned several cities in Darfur and Kordofan into open battlefields.
Reports and data compiled by Sudan Tribune from local and international sources estimate the death toll from direct drone strikes on civilian targets since January at between 480 and 500, with more than 1,200 wounded.
The United Nations reported in late March that a drone strike on the Ed Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur killed over 70 people, including women, children, and paramedics. The UN noted that more than 500 civilians have died in similar strikes across Sudan since the beginning of this year alone.
A medical assistant at Ed Daein Hospital, identified as N.M., told Sudan Tribune she narrowly escaped death during the strike on the first day of Eid. She had stepped out of the facility to see off relatives when three missiles were fired in succession into the hospital.
“I fell where I stood and couldn’t move,” she said. “People were sprinting out of the hospital; some were injured, and others were trying to carry the wounded, especially children, off the ground.”
East Darfur has recorded the highest rate of drone attacks, with state leaders reporting over 250 raids in the last six months. South and West Darfur followed, with strikes hitting hospitals, houses of worship, and markets.
In North Kordofan, the city of El Obeid has faced a high volume of attacks launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Meanwhile, in South Kordofan, aerial raids have concentrated on the cities of Dilling and Kadugli.
The conflict has seen reciprocal strikes in other regions. The RSF has targeted White Nile, Al Jazirah, River Nile, and Red Sea states, while the army has targeted RSF concentrations in Blue Nile, Darfur, and Kordofan.
At least 18 health and service facilities were hit by drones during the first quarter of the year, forcing four major hospitals completely out of service. The World Health Organization documented at least five attacks on medical facilities in the first 50 days of 2026, killing 69 people.
In West Kordofan, drone strikes targeted residential neighbourhoods in Lagawa, killing five civilians and wounding 15 others, triggering a new wave of displacement among residents fleeing the indiscriminate bombardment.