RSF civilian drone strikes

The conflict in Sudan has entered a lethal new phase as unmanned aerial vehicles become primary tools for targeting non-combatants. Reports from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and United Nations officials indicate that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are increasingly deploying drones to strike areas far removed from active frontlines, turning public spaces into kill zones.

The Escalation of Drone Warfare

The shift toward drone-centric warfare has resulted in a sharp spike in civilian casualties. Data provided by the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) and cited by MSF records nearly 350 drone attacks across Sudan since the beginning of 2026. These operations are not confined to military objectives but are widespread, affecting the White Nile, Blue Nile, Kordofan, and Darfur states.

The lethality of these strikes is reflected in the findings of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. His office reports that between January and April 2026, at least 880 civilians were killed by drone strikes. This figure is not merely a subset of the violence but the dominant driver of civilian mortality during that period.

Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

This concentration of deaths suggests a tactical shift by the warring parties, where drones are used to project power into civilian centers with high precision and low risk to the operators, often with devastating results for those on the ground.

Systematic Targeting of Civilian Infrastructure

The nature of the targets indicates a pattern of strikes on critical infrastructure and gathering points. MSF has documented attacks on schools, crowded markets, healthcare facilities, and water sources. By hitting these essential services, the SAF and RSF are effectively dismantling the basic survival mechanisms of the population.

Healthcare facilities, which should remain neutral zones under international law, have become targets. MSF teams operating in affected regions report that attacks have occurred dangerously close to humanitarian workers, complicating the delivery of emergency medical care. The psychological impact is equally severe; the constant threat of aerial surveillance and sudden strikes has deepened fear among communities already exhausted by more than three years of war.

The geographical spread of these attacks ensures that few regions remain safe. While Khartoum and the Blue Nile state have seen renewed activity, the strikes in Kordofan and Darfur continue to destabilize areas where civilians are attempting to find refuge or access basic trade in local markets.

Humanitarian Access and the Crisis of Care

The surge in drone activity is creating a paralysis of humanitarian aid. MSF reports that these strikes are disrupting aid deliveries and restricting the movement of medical teams. When drones target roads and public spaces, the logistics of moving medicine and food become life-threatening gambles.

The impact on children is particularly acute. Sheldon Yett, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in Sudan, has highlighted the specific danger posed to the youngest populations in the conflict zones.

Sheldon Yett, UNICEF representative in Sudan

For children, the danger is twofold: the immediate risk of death or injury from strikes and the long-term collapse of pediatric care as hospitals are hit or abandoned due to security risks. The disruption of water sources, another primary drone target, further exacerbates the risk of water-borne diseases, adding a secondary health crisis to the immediate trauma of warfare.

Implications for the Sudanese Conflict

The use of drones by both the SAF and RSF represents a democratization of aerial surveillance and strike capabilities that the Sudanese civilian population is entirely unable to counter. Unlike traditional artillery or ground combat, drone strikes can occur in previously safe areas, removing any sense of sanctuary for the displaced.

MSF has urged the warring parties to immediately spare civilians and humanitarian workers. However, the data from the first four months of 2026 suggests that the drone campaign is a deliberate strategy rather than a series of accidents. The fact that 80 per cent of civilian deaths in early 2026 are linked to these devices points to a systemic failure to distinguish between military targets and civilian populations.

As of May 2026, the humanitarian situation remains catastrophic. The combination of active combat and a high-tech aerial campaign has left medical NGOs struggling to maintain a presence in the most affected states. Without a cessation of these strikes, the ability of organizations like MSF to treat the wounded and provide essential healthcare will continue to erode, leaving millions of Sudanese civilians exposed to both the violence of the drones and the vacuum of medical care.